Redhawk Caldera (J) Brother or Bother?

The smell of sulfur and age old ash still clung to the caldera, a scent of a long ago fire-mountain of epic proportions. He'd been waiting on the border for several hours now, waiting for his brother to rejoin him and hopefully have news of the other packs. They'd come in from the north several days ago, passing through the wilds and following a pack scent that was eerily familiar.

He hadn't howled for the alpha of the nearby pack just yet, still waiting for his brother to arrive and then they'd find somewhere to stay, or preferably join a pack. Dean didn't want to settle down, Ray knew that much but he had acquiesced to his younger brother's wishes. The caldera pack had been the first pack Ray had come across in his forays and it made him voraciously curious, that lingering scent of ancient ash.

Ray sometimes wondered why Dean had agreed to settle down in a pack. Because as narcissistic as his brother was, he'd shown no interest in a steady mate.

@Dean

@Peregrine

*lurks while we wait for Dean*

He hadn't been hunting, patrolling or looking after the pups (not that they needed to be babysat these days). He hadn't been doing much of anything except trying to master the art of walking and running with only one eye. It sincerely took all of his time and effort. Peregrine knew he was losing his grip as an Alpha male because of it but what else could he do? Maybe he had a chance of overcoming this obstacle if he really tried and now that he'd overcome the initial slump, he was putting everything into rehabilitating himself. Adapt or die.

Today he had chosen a spot near the caldera's foot (after pretty much falling down the mountain on his attempt to descend) to practice running on even ground. He began with a gentle, easy lope, then escalated into a trot. This was when it usually got pretty tricky. He tried to keep his focus ahead, not on his feet, and alternate swinging his head back and forth to give himself some semblance of depth perception. It wasn't the real thing but it would have to do.

Despite his sincerest effort, he stumbled and went down, smashing his cheek against the ground. Peregrine slowly stood up, spat out a mouthful of blood, and abruptly noticed the dark wolf lingering off in the distance. Both eyes narrowed as he began to walk carefully in that direction, turning his head sideways to keep his good eye on the distant figure.

Sorry I took so long!

 Dean was tired. His feet hurt, but he continued to move forward. He had to find Ray again. He carried a rabbit in his jaws that he was going to give to his brother. Dean had gotten hungry on the way and had split up so he could get some food. He had taken the life of two rabbits to satisfy his own stomach. Dean followed the scent of his brother and found him just sitting down. What is he doing just sitting there? As he came closer he could smell the scent of other wolves. He found a pack, okay. He saw another wolf watching Ray. He walked up to his brother and dropped the rabbit and licked the blood from his mouth. "You're being watched." He whispered and looked right at the stalker. A scent of blood caught his attention. He was hurt. The stranger didn't look like he was bleeding or else some crimson would have been seen somewhere.

Dean's ears moved forward to see if he could hear anything else that was watching them. Nope, nothing. His tail stood still as his body was in an alert position. Was this wolf a friend or a foe?

Sorry I took so long, Life kinda interfered.

Ray huffed a soft laugh in greeting, feigning a casual and relaxed atmosphere. But he was tense in his bones, having felt his watcher for some time and not wanting to pick a fight too soon. But he heard the tread of paws on dirt, and the scent of Dean- something he was very familiar with-, as well as that of blood. He'd almost been startled at the scent but it wasn't Dean's, so that was all well and good. "I know, he's just been watching but he's making his way over slowly. But his scent's the same as the pack scent in the area- so I'm going to logically assume he might be our ticket into the pack."

Ray didn't mention how the stranger smelled strangely familiar, not wanting to complicated matters any further. He turned to glance at the stranger, eyes watching carefully before standing with his tail at a mid point. Neither aggressive nor submissive- just wolf etiquette after all.

When a second wolf joined the first, Peregrine immediately began to bristle. Why were two young males coming this close to his territory? What did they want? Were they a threat? If he had known who they were, he might have laughed (or cried) at the irony. Tyrannus had thrown them all out on their asses, perceiving them as threats when they were no such thing. Of course, he didn't yet realize they were his brothers. And that information would change everything, whereas it had meant nothing to the tyrannical former Alpha.

"What is your business here?" The five words came out even more sharply than he had intended as he drew nearer to the two strangers, his good eye shrewdly flicking from one face to another. He lifted his head and tail, exhibiting dominance and commanding submission. That was proper etiquette at his borderline.

But then the tension suddenly vanished from his features and his jaw went slack in surprise. "Ray? Dean?" He hadn't seen either of them in nearly two years, yet time hadn't changed them too much. "Holy shit, what are you two doing here?" He took a step toward the closer of the two (Ray), sniffing noses with them, then turned and stared at Dean for a full five seconds before his tail broke into a tentative wag.

Dean was suprised to see his older brother. His face didn't show any hint of suprise in any way. When Peregrine stared at him he returned it staring straight into his eyes. Dean's eyes showed no emotion like the day that he was kicked out of the pack he had been in for just about his whole life for no reason. A growl tried to sneak its way through him, but he shook his head to keep it down. Even just thinking about it made him angry."You explain Ray. I can't even think about it without getting mad. I'll be back, just need to take a walk."

He sighed and walked back the way he had came. He found the bone of a moose and chewed the hell out of it while walking in large circles. Many growls escaped his throat while he walked. Dean's pace started to get faster and faster and soon he was running through the trees with a bone in his mouth and fury written all over.

There was a brief moment where Ray almost attacked, as the alpha male's body language was screaming anger and aggression. But as he glanced at the other wolf, and registered the obvious surprise on Peregrine's face, his own jaw widened in a toothy grin. "What the hell? Look at you, being an... alpha-y."

But Dean's reaction made him frown and he rolled his eyes, sending a long-suffering glance at his older brother that he was sure the other had used many times. "Sorry, he's still real pissy about the brouhaha with Tyrannus. I've worked my way over it basically, no real good ever came out of a grudge. No idea what he's got wrong with you though." Ray's tail kept wagging and he tentatively sniffed his older brother's scent, confirming what he already knew to be true. "I'm looking for a pack, someplace to settle down. Dean agreed- don't know why the fuck he would agree- but he did. He'll be back- and he'd better explain that hissy fit right there."

I put you two in the RHC group as "TBD" for now, to reserve your spaces. :)

His tail stilled and stiffened when Dean responded with a pointed glare. Brother or not, Peregrine required respect at his borders and did not tolerate challenges to his authority. He began to lift a lip when the pale, stocky male stalked off to begin pacing nearby. His sharp words caused Peregrine to look at Ray, confusion and anger written into his features.

"Dude, that happened almost two years ago," Peregrine said to Ray, though loud enough for Dean to hear. "Yes, he'd fucking better," he added, now looking at the slightly older of the two again, his glare heavy. "I don't care if you're my brother. If you want to live here—and I'd love to have you both—then you've got to pull that stick out of your ass, Dean." Although the Alpha's voice was hard, there was also a sort of bemused edge to it. This scenario reminded him of his falling-out with Atticus long ago. He would not let history repeat itself with another brother.

Turning back to Ray, he managed a smile for the politer of his younger siblings. "It's good to see you, man. It sucks that you were part of that. I thought Tyrannus would spare you two because you weren't even sexually mature at the time. Guess not," Peregrine thought out loud, shaking his head lightly. "What have you been doing?" Despite Dean's behavior, he was glad to see the litter mates had stuck together all this time.

Dean returned and had calmed himself."I'm sorry, I was just still a little mad for being kicked out. My apologies." He smiled at Peregrine. A sigh almost escaped the grasps of his throat, but it held it back. He had gotten over the fact that he was kicked out of his first pack somehow it got him angry still. He tried and tried again and again to let the past go, yet it seemed like it didn't want to let him go. His tail started to sway when he remembered how long it had been since he had seen his older brother. 

"How long has it been since we had last seen each other Peregrine? A few years? It has felt at least that long. It's good to see you again." He said feeling more like himself again and not angry anymore. His mind drifted for a few seconds then came back to reality. He had lots of things on his mind since he had been kicked out. Mostly it was what he would do with his life as a Lone Wolf. His mind made it a habit everyday to think about his future for at least two hours, and his mind decided now was a good time.

Since this thread's nearly a month old and I haven't heard from Ray's player, I'm going to go ahead and conclude it for us. :)

The Alpha shot another perplexed look at Dean. Was he really having a conniption fit over something nearly two years past? At least he had pulled the stick out of his ass and apologized. He quickly shifted gears, reminiscing about the last time they'd seen one another. Peregrine peered at Ray, giving him a look as if asking, How did you put up with this moody brat all this time? But when he glanced back at Dean, his mouth had worked its way into a smile.

"It's good to see you idjits again too," he said. "I trust you've learned some skills out on the road, considering you both look good for a pair of hobos. How about you stick around? We have space for you and it's a great place if you're wanting to settle down." He looked at Ray in particular when he said that.

"Walk with me," he invited in the next moment. "Tell me what's good and I'll bring you up to speed on my life here. Then you can meet my family." He didn't only mean Fox and the Firebirds but everyone living here at Redhawk Caldera, which was now home to two more Redleaf-DiSarinnos.