Redhawk Caldera Chokin' on goatmeat

It sounded like the end of the world out there. Peregrine didn't sleep a wink as the thunderstorm raged above them. Although he didn't like being stuck underground, confined to a small, dark cave, he knew it was better than being up there. His stomach tied itself into knots as he wondered what the world would look like once the storm finally blew away, which took all night. Would they even have a home once it was all said and done?

It was difficult to tell time down here in the dark, yet when the world fell silent and threads of light began to illuminate the corridor leading above-ground, Peregrine figured the coast was clear now. Still, he did not venture out for a few more hours, just to be safe. When he finally picked his way upward, he did so very cautiously. And when his black head emerged from the cave mouth, he saw the first signs of damage: debris littered the ground as far as the eye could see... and it included the broken body of a mountain goat just a few yards away.

Marveling at the force it must have taken to carry over a hundred pounds of dead weight, Peregrine slithered out of the cave mouth. He sucked in a breath as he surveyed the damage, then spun to call back into the dim subterranean passageway: "It's safe to come up here. Just... tread carefully," he warned, swallowing hard as his dusky jade eyes once more combed the fields of debris. This was only the tip of the iceberg. He wondered what havoc the storm had wrought upon the rest of the caldera, not to mention the surrounding wilderness.

For once, Gale is allowed to post. xD.

---

Gale grimly plodded after Peregrine, with no expectations regarding the level of damage. But the first thing he saw was the twisted, broken body of a young nanny-gooat, and his jaw dropped. The Caldera had been his home for only a couple of beautiful days - but was there even enough left to call "home"? 

He doubted, staring unashamedly as massive natural rock pillars lay unmoving. His breath caught in his throat. (hell yeah flash back tiem)

The Healer`s pitying words, his mother`s disgust.

"He`s a blemish on the Pack!"

"His very survival will condemn every wolf in every Wilderness!"

"On his 9th moon, such a force from the Spirit will strike as to sweep us away with a flick of its tail!"

Worst, worst of all, his sister.

"Chase him away. Make him leave. Just make him leave - before he kills us all."

A searing pain ran through his head, and he dropped to his haunches before whimpering involuntarily.

"Peregrine?" he mumbled. "There`s something I need to tell you."

Others are welcome (and encouraged) to jump in at anytime. :)

He had barely gone three more steps when a whimper drew his attention. Thinking one of his pack mates was hurt, Peregrine's head whipped around to see Gale hunched a few feet away. He should have felt concern, he knew, but the Alpha felt instead a flicker of annoyance. To his credit, he had hardly gotten a chance to know the newest member of the caldera and Gale felt more like an intruder than a pack mate at this point.

"What is it, Gale?" he asked, trying to keep the impatience out of his voice. He was much more concerned about the others; where were they? He had thought they would be right behind him. "Y'all can come up now! It's not pretty but it's safe, for the most part," he shouted again in the direction of the underground passage.

Oh wao just deleted my post >·<

Gale straightened, and backed out of the way of the exit. He exhaled heavily.

"You`ve been good to me, Peregrine, sir, and so has everywolf else. You-" His tail coiled around his hindquarters, nervously. "You deserve to know why I joined the Pack."

Is this what I really want to do? No. But should I? [Sigh.] Yes.

He sat abruptly, tail lashing along the floor and stirring up the thick layer of dust. He coughed, and sat to tell his story.


"As you know, I`ve only been here for a couple of days. I was born in a wonderful place, the Jeredal Wilderness, Southwards from the lake that looks like a snapped antler. Know what I mean?

Anyway, it was great. A valley, ruled by just two opposing Packs, with whole ecosystems around us for the taking. I was born in the Larnaci Pack, a Pack rather...religious by your standards here. To be honest, I only half-believe in the Spirits - they ruined my life, if they even exist.

As is custom, the Pack`s Chief Healer called to the great Spirits, to see my purpose in life. My sister, Hicarla Dewdrop Larnaci, had been blessed by the Sun Spirit, with the purpose "Harmony and leadership in times of great danger."

As such, I was expected to recieve an equally glorious blessing. Alas, it was not to be. I was "blessed" by the Moon Spirit. My purpose was very clear - and rather long."

Gale laughed. A short, sharp, precise bark of derision lacking mirth in any form.


"The Healer herself went into her trance, and my family still hoped that the Moon Spirit had given me a gift, not...a curse. Stealth, perhaps? Skill? But no. The Healer, backed away from me, all creepy, and said this:

"On his 9th moon, such a force from the Spirit will strike as to sweep us away with a flick of its tail! It will crush the Wilderness and all that stand in the way of the Spirits! This wolf must die before his 9th moon, or all shall crumble away!"

Yeah. Dramtic much? Obviously nowolf wanted anything to do with me, so they cast me away. The Maldara Pack adopted me, perhaps out of spite for the Pack. Whatever their motives, I was grateful.

But when the Larnacis threatened to attack the Maldara Pack, their hospitality ran out. They voted to exile me - only one little Eastern Timber shewolf voted for me.

So, I became a Lone Wolf. I lived on borders in return for my allegiance. I fought many battles for causes I didn`t understand. Until I came to Redhawk Calera. I - I really thought I could change, sir!

But all I`ve done is offend your family.

Peregrine...[Sigh]."

Face grim, Gale walked up to Peregrine and whispered in his ear.

"The day before the storm - a few days ago - was my ninth moonday. And they called me Gale before I was cursed. (This account was made 37 seconds before the BWP was launched xD I loled so hard) Peregrine - what if all of this is somehow my fault?"

Perry's a jerk, in case you didn't know that yet! ;)

He quirked a brow at Gale's response. He had literally accepted the male into his ranks yesterday afternoon, just a few hours before the storm descended on them all. Peregrine hadn't done anything for him aside from give him a chance. He supposed he had been nice enough to let him take shelter with the rest of them, rather than forcing him to (literally) weather it alone...

His attention snapped back when Gale declared he was about to tell Peregrine why he had joined. He immediately opened his mouth. "I don—" he began to reply when the subordinate talked right over him, launching into a windy tale about his origins.

The Alpha stared at him a little as he rambled before suddenly snapping, "Now's not the time, Gale. I have way too much on my plate right now." He gestured emphatically in the direction of the storm-ravaged caldera, then walked several feet away. If Gale wanted to continue his spiel, well, the Alpha wouldn't stop him. But he wasn't going to listen either.

Sebastian couldn't really keep up with the whole pack and he didn't blame them. The grey tank decided that he would need to take some shelter somewhere else. This storm was coming and it was coming in fast. He was normally a wolf that liked to sleep under the starry sky but with this storm coming in he wasn't very keen on being freezing outside. He took it at his own pace, not too worried though. He managed to store his herbs in a rabbit hole, hopefully those damn beasts wouldn't eat his plants. But it was the only den close enough to be used as storage. 

After everything seemed save, with the emphasis on 'seemed' the grey tank dared to go outside. He was going to search for other pack members. They were probably worried about him after not catching up with them. Sebastian had a slight limp in his step, his wounds were all sealed shut, looking rather ugly but it seemed no infection had caught on thanks to the help of Magpie and of course his two saviors before he got back to RHC. He wondered what Andalusia was going right now. Hopefully she would be safe with this storm. He wished he could go look for her. The grey tank of a male got towards the cave, following they scents, secretly pleased he found the cave. He spotted Peregrine and... some guy. He hadn't met this one yet. Damn, Peregrine he had promised him some ladies. Of course Sebastian was only joking... to himself. 

Sebastian looked at Peregrine who seemed rather annoyed. The immense wolf let out a hint of a smirk before deciding to help Peregrine out and plant himself between the two. "I don't think we have met. I'm Sebastian. I'm the healer," he introduced. He always felt like /such/ a giant in caves. But he would have to deal with that now. It was funny he introduced himself as a healer while he was all wounded and broken himself. Oh well. That was a story for another time. He then turned to Peregrine. "Where is everyone?," he then let out with some worry in his tone. He hoped Wifi would be around to entertain him.

He really is a jerk. C`mon Kat, that took me like half an hour! xD Also Hai Seb, can I call ya Seb? xp 

Gale snapped his jaw shut, inwardly blushing (CAN WOLVES BLUSH, MY FAVE QUESTION. ALSO CATS?). Of course the Alpha was too busy for an adolescent Eta`s squeals. He sighed, and ducked his head.

Whe  he raised it, there was somehow a massive, intimidating grey (English, deal with it.) male stood in front of him. He started, but relaxed as the wolf introduced himself as a Healer.

Whew!

He smiled weakly.

"Uh, Gale. Eta. Looks like I picked a bad time to, um, join a Pack, huh?"

Spirits, this guy is making me nervous. How can one wolf be so cheery?

He thought he saw a slight limp in the bigger wolf`s leg, but then it was back into stride.

"Uh, are, are you hurt, sir?"

Why would the healer be hurt? It made no sense.

I still welcome people to drop their characters in here at any time! I'm going to vaguely power play y'all in the meantime. :P

No more than ten seconds later, a familiar figure appeared, approaching the group now piling out of the subterranean hideaway. "Sebastian!" Peregrine shouted, bounding forward to meet the large gray wolf. "I'm glad you're all right. How'd you weather the storm? Where did you stay?" While he hurled these questions at his subordinate, the Alpha male nosed him. He was still injured from his foray to the north, though he didn't appear to be sporting any fresh wounds. "Sorry we weren't able to come collect you. It got nasty fast."

He waved his tail at the Healer, then turned to start counting heads as Sebastian engaged with the (slightly obnoxious) Gale. If there were other adults missing, Peregrine didn't notice because only one out of his three children appeared to be with the group. "Where's Nightjar and Wildfire?" he asked no one in particular, trotting over to the cave's mouth and shouting, "NJ! Wifi! Get your butts up here!" His voice echoed hollowly back at him but there was no reply.

That's when his entire body tensed. Lifting his head, he scanned the milling wolves again, then barked loudly, "Has anyone seen Nightjar or Wildfire?" When had he last seen them? He had fought his son all the way down into the belly of the earth, neither of them happy about the descent... and then Peregrine had lost track of his kids in the chaos. Mostly because he had been hugging a wall like a total wimp. Feeling more frantic by the second, he sought the gazes of @Fox and @Raven in particular, hoping they might have answers.

Elwood had never experienced a storm so violent as this one. Even in the belly of the caldera, deep beneath its rocky surface, the crashing thunder and howling wind sounded entirely too close for comfort. The group of wolves huddled together for comfort and few words were exchanged throughout the course of the night. It was only when Peregrine stirred after what seemed like years that Elwood unfolded his legs and stretched. The Alpha carefully made his way back up the tunnel and exited, calling back to his packmates that the coast was clear.

The Beta male lingered inside the tunnel, fussing over his mate and child, but then Peregrine requested the presence of Wildfire and Nightjar. Elwood looked around, his gaze scanning the faces of the wolves still remaining in the cavern, but he didn't see either of them. With a lurch of his stomach, he realized that they were gone.

"They're not down here," he called up to Peregrine, even as he made to exit the cave. He emerged into the hazy, eerie sunlight, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the change. "They're not up here with you?" he asked, though as he glanced around the answer became obvious. The only wolves accompanying Peregrine were Sebastian and Gale; the firebirds in question were nowhere to be seen.

It's technically @Sebastian's turn and I'm skipping @Gale as well but this one's been stagnating a bit and I wanted to go ahead and get it finished! :)

They weren't out here and they weren't in there. Then where were they? Trying not to lose his mind, Peregrine forced himself to calm down and think rationally for a second. He had been near the entrance to the cave all night long, standing between his pack mates and the storm. Nobody could have passed him without his noticing; it just wasn't possible. That meant that the pups had gone the other way, backward into the caves. Peregrine felt his guts twist as he realized what this almost definitely meant: Nightjar and Wildfire were lost somewhere in the tunnels.

"We have to search for them," he said, meaning to yell but only managing to eke out a strained stage whisper. "Elwood, can you help me look down here? Fox, take the others and check the rest of the territory in case they surfaced somewhere." Taking a deep breath to steady himself, the Alpha plunged back into the cavern. He hated the dim, damp darkness and the enclosed spaces but he would do whatever it took to locate his children and safely bring them back above ground.

Peregrine's happy greeting towards him was soon over after they realized that Wifi and Nightjar were gone into the tunnels of this cave. Sebastian perked up his ears up as the alpha's voice echoed into the tunnels. Sebastian was pretty worn from walking to the cave so he wouldn't be of much help. "I can stay here in case they come back,' he spoke. There wasn't much more that he could do. 

Sebastian worried about Wildfire and Nightjar. The last thing he wanted was that the two youngsters would get lost int he tunnels and would starve to death. Sebastian's tall frame sat down, leaning agains the rock wall with his good shoulder. Hopefully Peregrine and Elwood were going to find the alpha kids.

Once it was determined that none of the adults in the vicinity had seen Wildfire or Nightjar, it became clear that they needed to be found. Peregrine requested that Elwood accompany him back down into the tunnels, and the silver Beta agreed quickly. "Yeah, right behind you," he said, pivoting to follow Peregrine. They slipped back into the cavern as Sebastian announced that he would keep an eye out for the youngsters above ground.

Elwood's gaze landed on a series of tunnels that seemed to lead away from the main area. "They must've gone this way," he mused, glancing at Peregrine.

Thought I'd wrap this up!

Elwood began to move toward a tunnel, the route the pups surely took. Before they could slip further underground, Sebastian called to them, volunteering to stay at the cave's mouth. "You do that," the Alpha called back, "and everyone else, please spread out and search the caldera!" With the two of them plumbing the tunnels; Sebastian rooting himself to the cave mouth; and the rest of the pack fanning out to search elsewhere, surely they would locate the pups quickly.

"All right," Peregrine said, moving close to Elwood and sucking in a deep, deep breath. He felt like he might choke. "Let's do this." He strode forward purposefully, exhibiting none of the fear and anxiety that squeezed his heart as he plunged into the tunnels, calling his children's names and hoping that all four of them would escape this dark, dreary catacomb alive.

Posting here one more time for EXP :3

Sebastian nodded courtly as the other wolves headed out, soon he was alone again. He had gotten the company of his fellow pack wolves only for a moment. Not that he minded it too much. Finding the two firebirds were something far more important. Sebastian was also glad with his rest. He laid down and guarded the entrance for any wolf that might come to pass by him. Hopefully one of the wolves in this pack would find the teenagers.

Sebastian didn't know how far the tunnels reached, maybe he should go explore these tunnels one day. Now he looked at the cave entrance it looked pretty good to have an infirmary here. The makeshift infirmary they had now was in the open air, this cave could offer shelter, especially in winter. Therefor he must explore the tunnels if there might be something dangerous. That was something for later, though.

Same here!

Elwood wasted no time following Peregrine into the tunnel. He briefly contemplated suggesting that they split up, but quickly dismissed that idea. Although they would cover more ground separately, they didn't know what the storm had done to the caldera; the last thing they needed was for one of them to get lost or stuck in a collapsed passageway. So the Beta dutifully stuck near his Alpha, yellow eyes wide as they searched every nook and cranny for Nightjar and Wildfire.