Redhawk Caldera not enough to go around

Jaws was about to embark on a mission he had never carried out before. As a nomadic lone wolf, he had seldom ever 'marked' anything - he never had anything he wished to say was his; but Redhawk Caldera had become his home now. Though it was his duty as a candidate warden to ensure the security of the borders, it was also something he wanted to do, having grown protective of the land, his new lifestyle, and even his packmates. But the first step in defending the borders was to make sure there were borders to defend, and so that afternoon he set out to refresh the markers.

The coywolf drank generously from the neighboring lake to the south and started his trek at an easy lope, moving clockwise along the pack's border. His first mark he made on a tree, raising a limber leg to its trunk and letting a long stream soak the bark. Further down, he found a boulder and darkened its complexion with more scent. But on the third mark - another tree - Jaws found that his steady flow had become a mere trickle that, even with a couple shakes, could not get the job done.

Jaws furrowed his brows as he stared at the tree. His grayjay, who had been flying along with him, landed on his head and looked at the tree too, tilting its head one way and then the other. It chirped as if to say, 'why are you staring at nothing?'. Nothing indeed; in his inexperience, Jaws had used up all his 'ammo' on the first two targets.

Your post reminds me of my dog, lol. He keeps trying to pee on things when we are walking even when he's all out of juice! :P

Patrolling was certainly not Elwood's favorite task, but it was part of his job as both Beta male and warden. And it was even more important now that the firebirds had arrived and were taking up plenty of the leaders' time. Peregrine was slowly beginning to resume a regular schedule -- Elwood had even heard that he had taken a brief jaunt away from the caldera -- but the new parents were still relying heavily on both of the greyscale Betas.

He was pleasantly surprised when he saw Jaws in the distance, apparently keeping an eye on the outskirts and strengthening the pack's scent. Elwood hastened towards him, noticing the bird on the other male's head as well as the perplexed expression on Jaws' face. When he was within earshot, he called, "How's it going?"

Lmao. Well, it was my dog who inspired it because he does the same thing. Keeps trying to mark with nothing! At least Jaws knew it was pointless to keep going on haha.

The gray jay fidgeted on his head, giving a chirp and shuffling its wings slightly as it saw the Beta male approach. While it was almost completely comfortable with Jaws it was still a bit wary of other wolves, but it had developed confidence in the coywolf's protection enough to occasionally hang around despite the presence of another. Or perhaps it had become too attached and hesitated to depart his companion. Either way, it remained on his head as Jaws cocked an ear to his packmate but kept his gaze on the tree.

"How's it going?" the Beta asked and Jaws smiled slightly, making a soft smacking noise with his mouth before he spoke. "Well," he drawled, turning to face Elwood. "It was going... but I seem to have run out." The coywolf took a step back, extending a foreleg toward the tree in offering. "Care to lend a trickle?"

Elwood chuckled as Jaws explained the situation to him. It now made sense why he had been gazing at the tree with an expression of consternation. The very same thing had happened to the Beta on more than one occasion -- even now, when he held the official title of warden. Sometimes, no matter how full his bladder seemed to be, it was easy to run out of ammo.

"Been there, done that," he commiserated playfully, his gaze flicking upward to the bird briefly. It seemed a bit odd that Jaws had an avian companion -- for that was what it must be; no wild bird would simply take a ride on a wolf's head -- and Elwood would certainly ask about it. For now, he sidled up to the tree and lifted his own hind leg into the air, finishing the job with a short stream of his own.

"There," he said with a grin as he placed his paw on the ground once more. Looking to Jaws and the bird, he then offered, "There's a little creek not far from here. Want to go refill your tank?"

Jaws noticed that his Beta's gaze momentarily touched the gray jay which sat upon his head, but for the time being he made no comment. Both him and the bird watched in silence as Elwood obliged his request and dutifully stepped forward to perform the task that Jaws' bladder had failed. The coywolf nodded approvingly. "Perfect," he said, his ears cocking with interest as Elwood mentioned a creek. It just so happened that was his plan going forward, drink generously once more and resume his combined patrol and border marking, and this time he would be more conservative with his flow.

"You read my mind." Jaws said as he started to walk along, gesturing with a twitch of his head for Elwood to take the lead. He offered, "Between the two of us, we should be able to get it done, eh?"

He was glad that Jaws was receptive to his suggestion, and fell into step alongside his packmate. "Absolutely," he agreed; two full bladders would be better than one. There would be plenty of scent-marking done once they had both drank their fill. The Beta led the way to the stream, which was only a few hundred yards from where Jaws had paused; it trickled down from the slope of the caldera, presumably making its way to Lake Rodney at some point.

"So," he started amiably after a few steps, "tell me about your little friend." He gestured with his snout towards the bird that was still perched stubbornly atop Jaws' skull.

Elwood seemed to be an easy-going fellow, Jaws noted as the pair of colorless wolves trekked along toward the creek; and tit then crossed his mind that save for one (the dramatic Dove) he had found himself getting along rather well all of his packmates, despite having lived alone for so long and having been quite uncertain about how he would fare as a pack wolf. There was some truth to such sayings that you could take the wolf out of the pack but not the pack out of the wolf - the social instincts undoubtedly were there, biting his tongue when needed, focusing his attention on his duties, and becoming more prevalent as the days went by.

"Ah, don't mind him," Jaws said, his gaze casting upwards in futility because he could not actually see the gray jay, who had apparently decided it was quite content to ride on his head rather than his back. He suspected his Beta had been waiting for an opportunity to ask about the bird since he first saw it. "He took to following me after I accidentally rescued him from a hawk. He annoyed me at first," Jaws chuckled softly. "But he's not so bad, really." The coywolf smiled. He quite liked his feathered companion, now.

It turned out that Jaws had rescued his little feathered friend from a larger bird, and the two had stuck together ever since. They made an odd couple, but it kind of added to Jaws' character -- as if he needed it, with his two-toned eyes and snaggletooth. "That's interesting," Elwood replied, glancing up at the bird as it rode along silently on his packmate's crown. "Hi there," he said, directing his greeting at the jay -- could it even understand what he was saying?

Before long, they reached the stream and Elwood came to a halt, his toes inches from the gently rushing water. "Fill 'em up," he quipped with a grin, then leaned down and began to lap up the liquid thirstily. He hadn't realized how parched he was until just now, and he didn't stop until he had a belly full. They could, ah, digest on their way back to their previous location, and perhaps that would be enough time for their bladders to reload.

no problem!

The gray jay regarded Elwood with a raised brow as the Beta cast him a hello, one eye bulging with great suspicion as it looked him up and down. It fluffed its feathers, briefly appearing larger, and made a couple chirps before it turned its attention back to the front. "He's a bit wary," Jaws commented dryly, his idle mind momentarily wondering if the bird would come to trust his packmates in the way it trusted him. It seemed possible - after all, the bird was not always flying off in fear when around others as it had when he first took up his position as 'sidekick'.

"Fill 'em up," said Elwood, and the coywolf nodded with a smile and stepped to the creek's edge. As he bent down to take a drink, the gray jay finally departed his skull and took a perch in a nearby tree. Jaws lapped at length, filling his stomach until he thought another lap might not go down. Now finished, he cast his Beta a wink. "Loaded." he said and turned to start heading back to continue the line of fresh marks from where the pair had left off.

Thinking his packmate might feel awkward travelling in silence, Jaws made an attempt at small talk. "So... " but he was terrible at beginning conversations.

Elwood couldn't help but be amused by the jay's response to his greeting. Though there appeared to be a language barrier of sorts, it was interesting to try and interact with an avian. His previous experience with winged animals had been, well, trying to eat them -- he would refrain from mentioning that in front of Jaws' friend. "I don't blame him," he replied with a chuckle.

Once the two males were both full of water, they started to make their way back to the tree that Jaws had previously attempted to mark. There was a companionable silence between them; Elwood wasn't nearly as talkative as Peregrine was, and it seemed that Jaws was similar. But when the other male broke the silence, Elwood quickly took his bait.

"So," he repeated, glancing over at Jaws with a friendly smile. "You working on the warden trade?" he asked; either way, his efforts at the border would be appreciated by the leadership.

Jaws did not know that Elwood was comfortable in the silence, for had he known he would have let it remain. Fortunately, Elwood didn't mind conversation either, and at least could come up with something to talk about where Jaws had failed (it seemed he was just having a fail sort of day). "Yeah," he replied with nod, and rather than leave it at that as would have been characteristic of him, he put forth the effort and extended the thought. "When Peregrine invited me in, he said he needed gamekeepers and wardens the most. They suit me well enough, so I ran with it."

The pair neared and subsequently continued past the tree that Elwood had marked when Jaws' tank ran empty, and at the next logical spot for a marker - a cluster of shrubs, Jaws stepped forward to continue the line, hiking a leg and letting a more conservative flow douse the bushes in scent. "What trades do you have?" Jaws inquired, assuming that the pack's Beta had a couple trades under his belt and were not just a candidate for them as the coywolf was.

Elwood's initial response was to nod -- it was no secret that Peregrine thought highly of the more practical trades, like gamekeepers and wardens. It was the Alpha's opinion that had influenced Elwood in choosing his own roles, though that hadn't been the only factor. Hunting was one of his skills, and he had a natural instinct to protect the pack. The warrior trade had been a bit more difficult for him to earn, if only because he had never been trained in sparring -- but Fox had taken care of that quickly.

"I'm a gamekeeper, warden, and warrior," he replied as Jaws watered a short patch of bushes, appearing to be careful not to use up all of his ammo at once. "Kind of for the same reason as you -- Peregrine said that was what the pack needed when he recruited me." Now that he thought about it, his and Jaws' entrances into the pack sounded a bit similar. Rather than turning up on the caldera's doorstep and asking for a home, Peregrine had offered it to both of them. The swarthy Alpha must have seen potential.

"What are you thinking about for your third trade?" he asked, wondering if Jaws would take a more or less conventional route -- both Fox and Peregrine would approve of another warrior, but they had also lost their healer and counselor over the last couple of months. In the meantime, he paused to scratch at the ground with his claws, then sprinkled the patch of earth.

Jaws smiled slightly as Elwood listed off his trades and shared that it was also by Peregrine's suggestion that Elwood wound up with them. "Sounds like our leader has a clear preference." If Jaws was in Peregrine's position he would want the same trades to be prevalent among his followers, to make sure food was plentiful and managed and to ensure the borders were secure. To him those were the cornerstones of a solid pack and a comfortable life.

When Elwood asked about a third trade, Jaws let out a small hmm in contemplation. He had already made a couple of steps toward outrider, largely because he felt it was a natural extention of his warden trade, at least in some aspects. Besides, it was another that suited him, he was a natural wander and used to exploring and traveling long distances. Elwood laid down another marker and then Jaws replied. "Outrider, I guess. I don't think I am fit for anything else." he paused, choosing to share with his Beta the reason behind the trade. "I believe it makes sense, too, for a warden to know what lay around his pack, and I am used to travel."

Jaws was not sure Peregrine had any use for an outrider, but despite his survival-oriented mind he had limited knowledge about healing, his experience no greater than a few measures for keeping wounds clean and on the mend. He was not caretaker either, or counselor, and only fought when he needed to, preferring to keep out of conflict. Jaws knew no stories to share and could not predict the weather any better than the next wolf.

Outriding was not something that Elwood was particularly familiar with, and it wasn't a trade that appealed to him, personally. He was too much of a homebody to enjoy exploring outside of the caldera. Sure, he had taken a few day trips here and there, but since landing in the pack, he hadn't even left Great Bear Wilderness. He would leave the adventuring to wolves like Jaws and Finley.

Speaking of the Beta female, he felt it was prudent to mention her. "Finley is an outrider," he said. "You might want to talk to her if you have any questions." Though, since Jaws had lived the life of a loner, he likely didn't need much advice when it came to scouting. Whatever trade he settled on, Elwood felt fairly confident that Jaws would continue to prove himself as a valuable member of the pack.

The next marker was for Jaws to refresh, and he dutifully stepped forward to lay it down on another tree. "You don't mind me talking to your woman?" Jaws winked at his Beta, his mouth parting into a toothy grin. His growing ease around Elwood showing through in his characteristic jest. He was not in the know about the true 'complicated' status of Elwood and Finley's relationship. Peregrine had more or less said they were together and that Finley was off limits, so it was his assumption they were mates. He followed up with confirmation that he was just "kidding. Next time I run into her I'll see what she has to say about it. Couldn't hurt."

Elwood gave a good natured chuckle at Jaws' comment. He supposed he could have chosen to view the eligible bachelor as a threat, but despite not knowing Jaws all too well, he felt like he could trust him. Of course, he didn't know that Jaws was something of a ladies man; even that wouldn't be likely to change his opinion. As long as the other male was respectful of the relationships within the pack, there would be no problems in that department.

He returned the wink as he quipped, "I'm sure you'll be on your best behavior." Then, with a more serious tone, he added, "She'll be more than happy to talk with you about some of her experiences." Finley was passionate about her job, though she hadn't taken any trips away from the caldera recently. Now that the firebirds were getting a little older and the weather was warming up, he wouldn't be surprised if she resumed her wandering ways.

The Beta paused to pee on another bush, then glanced back at Jaws. "How's your tank?" he asked; though they had both reloaded, he thought that the next time they ran low would be a good opportunity to call it a day.

"You have no worries," Jaws replied with a respectful tip of his muzzle. Although he had joked about it, it would have been his very nature as an erstwhile loner to attempt to get a piece of Finley's tail; but as a pack wolf he knew not to cross that line and had no interest in doing so. Instinctively, he had respect for his leaders, and selfishly he knew to disrespect them would be to his disadvantage and likely result in him forfeiting his new, comfortable life.

Elwood asked how is tank was doing and Jaws paused to consider it. "I got enough for one more," he replied, and after a short time he made his mark on some earth that he had scratched bare in the same way his Beta had before. Truthfully, there was probably enough left in there for another spray, but Jaws was beginning to feel a burn in his stomach that turned his thoughts toward food. Pack wolf though he was, he still preferred to hunt alone.

"I think we did pretty good," Jaws said to Elwood. "No excuse for any trespassers, anyway. I think I'll head out for a bit. Thanks for the help," he dipped his head with respect for his leader, and then strolled off.

Someday, if the subject came up naturally, Elwood would be interested to hear about Jaws' experience as a lone wolf -- his flirtatious encounters and otherwise. It was a life that he would never live (and didn't necessarily want to), but at times, a part of him did wonder what it would be like to roam free with no one to answer to. His time as a loner had been short-lived and very purposeful -- his only reason had been to find Avery, and it was his search for her that had carried him from place to place.

Elwood grinned as Jaws gave one last sprinkle, and then the grey wolf kicked his legs out behind him as he moved away from the underbrush. They had done a decent job, and there would be no questions about what pack owned that particular stretch of land. With that, Jaws was ready to depart from Elwood's company; something the Beta had noticed about the snaggle-toothed wolf was that he still seemed to enjoy his alone time.

With a nod of his head and a twitch of his tail, Elwood called after him as he, too, turned away. "You're welcome. See you later!" Then, he put his nose to the ground and started a new mission: tracking down Finley.