So you can keep me inside the pocket of your ripped jeans

Peregrine spent the early morning hours canoodling with Fox, then sought out Pan and hung out with him until lunchtime. He returned to the rendezvous site to pick up some cold leftovers from a cache, shot the breeze with his kids for half an hour, then excused himself to go on a patrol. That's where he was now: tirelessly circling the caldera, keeping an eye out for any disturbances or threats.

His mind began to wander when the patrol proved as dull as ever. He found himself wanting to keep up today's theme of socialization. He hadn't seen @Grimm since her return and hadn't caught up with @Gale in a while either. He wouldn't mind catching up with @Ashton to see how well he was coming along. Word on the street was his older daughter fancied the hippie. He supposed she could have picked worse, though Peregrine didn't take any of it seriously (yet). There was also the newcomer, @Leontii. The Alpha wouldn't mind getting to know him a bit better.

Surely at least one of the wolves in question would be summoned by his thoughts, right? In the meantime, Peregrine yawned and continued his leisurely stroll.

Hope you don't mind having Seb instead? xD 

Sebastian was pretty determined to get his warden trade. Even though he was still injured and a bit beaten up he was sitting close to the border where he had a good overview over the land before him. He might not be able to do much fighting or looking scary but he decided that he could be an alarm system if there was an unwanted loner crossing into their lands. Sebastian was pretty proud of himself that he had taken the initiative, and that he was doing better in the healing department. His daily swimming was helping a lot with his shoulder. 

His pale eyes then spotted a dark shadow moving, by movement alone he could tell it was his alpha Peregrine. He let out a bark and a shorter softer howl to reveal his presence to the alpha in question. He was sitting on top of a small hill, maybe just a bump in the landscape, just enough to not stick out too much but high enough to give the big grey a good overview of the land before him. His tail patted against the ground. In his mind he was slowly picturing that Peregrine was his father all along, just because he was such a cool guy, and so much better than his own biological dad.

Not at all! Others are welcome to barge in at any time. :)

A bark, followed by a short, ululating howl, drew Peregrine's attention. Immediately, he began trotting in that direction, tail sweeping the air as he came closer to Sebastian. He knew the guy pretty well but that didn't mean he wouldn't make good company, of course. In fact, he was quickly becoming a firm fixture in the Redhawk family. It probably wouldn't be long before he was welcomed to the name, just as soon as he finished proving himself as a Warden.

"Seb," the Alpha greeted as he loped up the small hillock to join the large gray wolf. "How're you today? King of the hill, I see," he quipped, taking a seat beside Sebastian and gazing out over the view before them.

Sebastian's tail patted against the ground as the alpha approached. He quirked up his lips and gave a brief lick under Peregrine's chin to show him respected. He learned that now. He was doing much better at that. "Oh no. The king of the hill is you," he winked. He had no ambition to lead. Not directly at least. He would head out on a mission or take the lead when needed but he much preferred to serve. Though he had taken up the Beta position before leaving his pack. He still needed to make up his mind if he liked that rank or not. 

"I'm doing much better. I do my daily swimming in the Caldera, going up and down the crater and the swim itself is to train my muscles back into shape." He explained with some pride in his voice. "And then afterwards I'd like to go here and be an alarm system for the pack. I felt a bit useless, you see? I'm eating the food without hunting for it and I guess I just felt a bit guilty. But now I feel good because I am kinda of Wardening with what my body can handle."

He glanced to the side at Peregrine. "How are you doing?," He asked, curious since he hadn't really talked to the alpha after his two kids vanished in the tunnels of the Caldera. He knew they were found, but after that matter he hadn't really talked to the dad.

When Sebastian licked his chin, Peregrine arched his neck to nibble companionably at the bridge of the male's muzzle. He then sat up straight when the subordinate answered his question. Rather than give him some generic answer, the gray Delta went into depth and detail about his well-being. The Alpha listened closely. His pack mate's health, both physically and mentally, meant a great deal to him. And that wasn't just because he was altruistic; he knew that the caldera could not sustain a dead weight in their ranks for long.

But Sebastian was doing his damnedest not to be a dead weight, which the Alpha male appreciated. He gave a rumble of approval, then said, "Just don't overextend yourself, Seb. Definitely keep working on regaining your strength but don't push yourself too hard. Once you're back to full health, you can more than make up for it," Peregrine said assuredly. "In the meantime, I like the idea of you being the neighborhood watch. Not only can you raise an alarm if necessary, your mere presence will probably intimidate any intruders away," he quipped.

The Delta asked how he was doing and Peregrine thought it over, wanting to provide Sebastian with a real answer. "I can't complain," he said, thinking of his recent talks with Fox and Pan; his kids; and the general goings-on with the pack. "We weathered the storm pretty well." Only one wolf wasn't accounted for: Njal. He didn't mention that now, though. "The pups are all growing well." That went for Elwood Jr as well as the Firebirds. "And the love life's good." He'd had some heavy conversations with Pan but they were still going strong, as were he and Fox, of course.

Sebastian remembered well how he wasn't feeling at home in the pack in the first month, now he couldn't even think being in another pack. He was very pleased he stayed loyal to the Caldera, it was really becoming his home. He wouldn't want to leave it now. In the beginning he was taking everything too seriously, now he learned the ways of the pack better and had adapted to that. Hell, he even accepted openly that Peregrine had another lover next to Fox. It still amazed him a bit, but if they were all happy Sebastian was happy. Very simple. "I won't, or at least, I try not to," he returned to his alpha. He didn't want to overwork himself and be a deadweight again. He was a lot of weight to carry. Though, his appetite wasn't that much greater than a normal wolf. He was just big in size. 

"Thank you. It makes me feel better too," he agreed with Peregrine. "I'm not sure if that is a compliment or not?," he laughed softly. Because that meant he was scary looking or intimidating. From a warden perspective it might seem like a compliment but for Sebastian looking intimidating was not something that was an advantage. Saena attacked him for it, thinking he was an assassin. "I will take it as a compliment," he then decided. Sebastian nodded with his head when Peregrine spoke about this own health, the pack and his love life. Yeah, he had two lovers and Sebastian had none. The young male was starting to gain more interest in the other sex, so far he had failed with each one. "I'm not so good at the love thing," he then muttered, but quickly laughed it off. "But! I did what I promised to myself, and that is to become a healer when Tiger died. And I am so close to being a warden too, for the pack. I am just really happy I can help out," he spoke. "I don't need love for that-- or well the pack's love would be nice," he babbled away. He could talk a lot.

Sebastian didn't seem to know how to take the comment and Peregrine realized how it might sound. His lips parted in a smile, then he laughed. "Yes, I meant that your sheer size should keep the hooligans at bay," he said, tapping his tail on the ground. "Strange trespassers will never know that you're secretly a teddy bear encased in a badass shell," he quipped.

The Delta mentioned his love life, a topic which they'd discussed before. "I haven't done a good job of recruiting single ladies for you," Peregrine mused. Grimm had recently rejoined but he knew Fox had an eye for her, so he probably wouldn't mention her. He knew how selfish that was but... oh well. "I'll keep an eye out, though. Seriously."

The news that Sebastian's trades were coming along so splendidly really pleased the Alpha male. "You did," he acknowledged with a dip of his black snout, "and that's great, Seb. The pack already loves you," he assured, "and we can't wait for you to become a Warden. Then you can become an official Redhawk. I know I'm excited for when that day comes," he said genuinely, slanting his face to look more directly at Sebastian, tongue lolling in a wolfish grin.

Sebastian laughed with Peregrine about his size, because it was pretty laughable. He could have been such monster with his brute size. Well, he only had to look at his dad really. "My struggle is real, Per. Now you know how I feel every day," he joked back. And that was technically how he was really feeling. The gentle giant was really housing a big fluffy teddy bear inside of him. He liked his teddy side, and he compromised that with his brute size when he needed to be mean or get his point across. 

Sebastian scrunched up his face in a cute way. "I think I am not ready yet, not really," he admitted. "And why settle down immediately? Maybe I will just turn into the most wanted bachelor ever. I mean, I totally I have everything a lady wants. I am protective and big in size. So I can be their ferocious warden. But, then I also have this soft side which girls also really like, I think. Most girls do, not all girls. Because some are tougher than me," he chuckled, just joking around. He shook his head a bit, if his 'calculations' were true then he should have the ladies swarm around him. Well he didn't manage to have Saena fall for his graces, nor of Tiger and Nochtli.

Sebastian aww'ed when Peregrine told him the pack loves him. He was glad to hear that. Then his face instantly beamed happiness when the alpha told him he could even take the Redhawk name! That was truly amazing. Sebastian felt his heart jerk in excitement. "I couldn't get an higher honor, thank you. I'm going to work extra hard now!" Sebastian did remember to not overwork himself. He then glanced at Peregrine. "If that day happens, can I call you Daddy?," he joked, in his voice he was clearly teasing Peregrine a bit, though if he was true to his heart he wouldn't mind calling him that.

Peregrine meant to say something in response to Sebastian's remark about settling down (why not just enjoy a few flings first?), though the thought got swept away in the rest of the conversation. He forgot about it entirely when the male jokingly asked if he could call him daddy. He pulled a face, then laughed. How absurd would that be? Then again, Sebastian was young and Peregrine probably could pass as his father, if not for the fact that he was bigger even than the large Alpha male.

Something about the question suddenly reminded him of something else, though. "You mentioned daddy issues when you joined. Not long ago—while you were away—a wolf who looked just like you showed up at our borders. Fox and I chased him away. Was that your father?" he asked. Peregrine had barely thought about the intruder since then and wasn't overly concerned about it, just curious. Whether or not he was Sebastian's dad, he would be just as unwelcome near the caldera.

Sebastian didn't expect his silly joke to turn the whole conversation around. He blinked when Peregrine started talking, and then his heart slowly sunk when he realized that his father might have come looking for him. But how did he know? Sebastian thought he was safe here. His father wouldn't find him here. Crap. Crap. He didn't want to get murdered or something like that. 

Slowly he nodded. "That might be him," he nodded slowly. "He looks exactly like me, or well, I look like him. Same size, same build and markings. He only has the docked tail, and +3 on him compared to me," he explained. "I'm so sorry that he came to brother you. I don't know how he found out," Sebastian muttered feeling guilty now. He promised not to create too much drama, guess he failed in that department.

"Yep, that's him," Peregrine answered, recalling the intruder's stump of a tail. "We took care of him," he repeated. "And then..." Now his lips drooped into a frown. He wasn't sure why he hadn't connected all the dots and spoken to Sebastian about this sooner. He had a feeling he had decided none of it mattered somewhere along the line, though he felt differently at the moment. "Wildfire ran into him in Haunted Wood. He's been here twice. Third strike and he's out. I won't let him get away with his life."

His jade eyes shifted to Sebastian's face, wondering what he might make of that. His father had proven himself as a sworn enemy of the caldera, not to mention a persistent pest. Peregrine wouldn't be satisfied with just chasing him away if he came around again. He didn't make a point of holding grudges normally but he would go out of his way—and even away from his home—to eliminate a redundant threat like Sebastian's father. He wouldn't rest until he was slain.

For now, though, he hadn't come back, at least as far as Peregrine knew. "If you killed your own father, I would immediately promote you to Gamma and give you the Warden trade, as well as the Redhawk name," he quipped wryly. He didn't actually expect that to happen but if Sebastian personally dealt with the threat, the Alpha would certainly handsomely reward him. "Hell, you could call me daddy after all, if you did that."

Sebastian frowned deeply when the heard about his father also bothering Wildfire. It concerned him greatly what the wicked man was thinking about doing. Frankly he felt very afraid. He wasn't sure what to think, only that his father was out to get him. Sebastian knew that Burke always got what he wanted so Sebastian decided not to leave the Caldera any time soon. It did make him way more anxious about being a warden than he actually should be. What if he came back? The horror was clear on Sebastian face. What would he do then, runaway deeper in the Caldera and howl for his pack. Not very tough of him but it might safe his life. 

"I don't think I am strong enough to kill him. He is like a legit warrior and he always sparred with his brother, my uncle. Though, I did kill my uncle in a spar with hi---" He fell quiet because that is something he hadn't shared with Peregrine. He wasn't proud of killing a family member, but his uncle could hardly be counted as a family member. He let out a sigh, now he might as well share it. "I was just ... lucky ... I guess. We lived close to a cliff, the battle grounds were there on that cliff. Thorn Ledge. I think the name says enough. I was so mad, so mad, and he misplaced a step. His hind leg slipped of the cliff. Then it was just one simple shove to get rid of him," he spoke, eyes distant. "I don't want to be a killer, Peregrine. That pack was poison, and I ate from it. Maybe that is why I am such a teddy bear at times because I don't want to be that wolf anymore. Plus killing my uncle didn't brought back my mother, or my father for that matter. Do you know I used to look up to my father? Strange how things can change." Sebastian wasn't sure if he wanted to be responsible for another death in the family.

Although Peregrine hadn't intended it very seriously, Sebastian seemed to take it that way. Rather than correct him, the Alpha listened to the Delta's genuine reaction to the proposal. He did not have the strength for it, he said, and the Alpha wondered if he meant physically, mentally or emotionally. When it became clear he largely meant the former, Peregrine opened his mouth to refute him but was distracted by the side story about Sebastian's ill-fated uncle.

"But if you had to kill for this pack, whether it was your father or some other threat, you would, wouldn't you?" the Alpha asked, momentarily putting Sebastian on the spot. He had never questioned the tank's loyalty and didn't now, though he did wonder how he would answer the question. "Because you have to be willing to do anything to keep this pack safe, Seb. And if that means killing, that doesn't mean you're poisoned or anything like that. It just means you're dedicated, that you'll make sacrifices and put yourself at risk for your family's sake."

Sebastian heard Peregrine and slowly started nodding. "Of course I would. I am loyal to the Caldera. Whatever is asked from me," he returned without question. Sebastian liked to think that Peregrine was right, but there was still a nagging feeling. Still if there was a reason to kill a certain wolf then he would, for the sake of the Caldera, or at least try. Like he mentioned before, he wasn't sure if he could kill someone but he could at least try, yes?

"Redhawk is my family now," he spoke, so certain of himself. "And I will do anything that is asked, killing, becoming a warden and healer. And I like becoming them," he spoke. He looked into the distance, disliking that his father had come by. Hopefully he would stay away after the two encounters, though Haunted Wood wasn't their territory right? But still he shouldn't come so close.

The Alpha male nodded decisively, approving of Sebastian's answer. "Yes it is," he agreed when he declared the Redhawks his family. "In name soon too," he reminded the younger male, giving him a quick nudge on the shoulder. He had come so far in his time here, reaching the upper ranks and proving himself a crucial part of the pack. If Peregrine had had any doubts about the Delta in the beginning, they had been replaced with faith.

That reminded him, he still wanted to track down some of the caldera's newer, less entrenched members and get them started on a road to becoming like Sebastian: a hardworking Redhawk. "Hey, I'm gonna keep looking for the newbies," he announced, rising. "You take it easy, all right? I'll see you around," Peregrine said, woofing to the larger, paler wolf before trotting away along the borders, determined to rustle up one of the less familiar faces around here.

Thank you <3. I will Archive!

Sebastian smiled at what Peregrine said. He really liked that promise and that was why he was so eager to get his warden duty. Then he would be a Redhawk, a true member. Sebastian smiled brightly, looking like an excited puppy. "Yes, do what you need to do," he nodded. "I'm glad we got to talk," he added. Sebastian watched how his alpha continued his own path. Sebastian was back to looking over the field before him. He would let everyone know that there was no way getting close to this border. 

Sebastian was there until nightfall, then his eyes were tired and he needed some rest. Instead of going back to the tree he usually slept under, he curled up right on the spot where he was wardening, so he could, after this nap, continue his duty.