Great Bear Wilderness New kids on the block

This is set just outside Moonspear.

Peregrine was looking forward to the first signs of Fox's successful pregnancy. Surely the would appear any day now. He stuck to her side like glue, not wanting to miss a moment. But it eventually occurred to him that he was obsessing. There were other things, other wolves, that deserved some of his attention. Reluctantly, he set out to get some other things done.

Almost immediately, he ran into his girls. They chatted briefly before Raven excused herself. Peregrine expected Wildfire to take off too but she hung back. She looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her young shoulders. "Tell me what's on your mind," he gently requested, planting his hindquarters and bending an ear.

She didn't usually talk a whole lot, though Wildfire ended up spilling her guts about a possible move to a new pack in the neighborhood called Moonspear. It took him by surprise and initially Peregrine wanted to actively discourage her. However, he pressed his teeth into his lip and did not interrupt as she told him about her friends Charon and Floki. He quirked a brow, wondering if one of these boys was the real reason his daughter was thinking about moving, rather than because it was a change of scenery and brand new adventure.

He picked her brains for a bit, asking various questions, but eventually wound up agreeing with Fox's take. "I'll support you, whatever you decide. We will miss you very much if you go." Before he could possibly start trying to convince her to stay, he nuzzled her, pardoned himself and walked away. He forced himself to think about the next batch of Firebirds, which was an uplifting thought in the wake of the news that one of his older chicks might be leaving the nest.

Peregrine did not actively decide to leave the caldera, nor head toward the distant Moonspear. He just blinked and found himself standing there, staring up at the sharp crags. The territory wasn't unlike the caldera... just, well, more peaky. The dark Alpha's lips pursed and his brows furrowed as he studied it. After a moment, he decided that since he was already here, he might as well see if these @Charon or @Floki characters were home and willing to meet with him. He howled briefly, requesting an audience.

The sound of a howl drew Floki's attention immediately. He had flung himself into marking Moonspear's borders, acting the part of an adult even though he wouldn't make the jump in ranks for another few months. But Charon supported his ambition and typically treated him like a grown up, recognizing him for his abilities and even giving him some responsibility. So he took it upon himself to respond to the caller and loped towards the source of the request.

As he emerged from the copse of trees that blanketed the lower region of the mountain, his gaze fell on a large, swarthy male. The stranger's dark coat was flecked with grey, giving him a particularly distinguished appearance. Floki approached with more curiosity than anything else. Although he was nearly the same size as Charon now, there was still an awkward youthfulness about him, so this wolf would certainly realize quickly that he was only a juvenile.

That didn't stop him from greeting the unfamiliar male confidently as he strode into the unclaimed territory just beyond Moonspear's edge. "Hello. Can I help you?" he asked, imitating the businesslike manner he had seen Charon use on many occasions.

<3

A decidedly youthful wolf came to greet him, his fur silver and his eyes a startling cornflower blue. Only now did Peregrine realize he hadn't gotten descriptions from Wildfire. Was this Charon? Or Floki? Or someone else entirely? He studied the young man shrewdly a moment. Then, despite his age and status a king of the caldera, he dipped his muzzle to the youth.

"Thanks for coming," the swarthy wolf said. "I am Peregrine. You might know my daughter, Wildfire?" He paused, allowing the juvenile a moment to confirm this and possibly identify himself, before adding, "My daughter is thinking of moving to Moonspear. I just wanted to meet the wolves she spoke so highly of. Can you tell me about yourself and your pack?"

Charon had tasked Flóki with keeping a check on the borders while he took up some rest. The past month had been taxing, particularly the many trips to Moonspear and back, and up and down the mountain, while his wounds had not yet been fully healed. Now the scabs had fallen off and though still a lot of fur was missing on his shoulder and back, Charon looked a lot more whole overall. He had been so occupied with claiming Moonspear he'd forgotten to take enough pause, and so he was catching up now.

Just as Charon had laid down his head while he lay in a shallow den in the forest that blanketed Moonspear's slopes, the howl went up. Eyes snapped open and a brief moment of contemplation followed. Curiosity was what fueled the young Alpha to get to his feet and trot on down to the borders, however, where he found Flóki and a stranger. Neither seemed agressive, but Charon dominantly carried tail and head high to indicate his status nevertheless.

Upon his arrival, Charon caught something about Wildfire, and he was all ears. It brought a smile on his face to know that she was seriously considering the move now, and had even consulted with her father about it. It made Charon realise how little he knew of who she was and where she was from; he didn't know any other wolves from Redhawk Caldera (or so he thought). "Hello. I'm Charon, Moonspear's Alpha." As for the question about his pack, Charon glanced at Flóki and remained silent, allowing his younger brother to answer the question (something Charon did not often do for anyone but Flóki).

Floki's surprise was apparent when Peregrine introduced himself. Wildfire's dad? He felt a little intimidated, especially since he had tried to "make love" with his daughter. He swallowed, but maintained his stance, not wanting to give anything away since Peregrine seemed to be none the wiser. For some reason, Floki felt like divulging that bit of information wouldn't be a smart choice, so he pushed it from his mind altogether.

He glanced over his shoulder as Charon arrived, looking the part of an Alpha male as he greeted Peregrine. Floki's tail waved gently, and then he realized that Charon was waiting for him to provide an answer to Peregrine's query, rather than doing it himself. "Oh, um, yes. Well, I'm Floki," he said, although he had the sneaking suspicion that Peregrine already knew who he was. "We just moved here recently. Our pack, Stavanger Bay, merged with the Sunspire and we chose Moonspear as our new home. Amekaze is our other Alpha. Wildfire has visited a couple of times," he continued, shifting his weight nervously under Peregrine's gaze.

"Is there anything specific you want to know?" he then asked, in an attempt to better get a feel for what Peregrine expected to glean from this meeting.

Before the young male could answer, another wolf appeared. Peregrine noted his proud posture, so it came as no surprise when he declared himself the Alpha, even though he looked rather young. The black wolf dipped his snout and repeated his introduction for Charon's sake. "I'm Peregrine, Alpha of Redhawk Caldera and also Wildfire's dad."

His jade gaze flicked back as the juvenile introduced himself in turn and began telling Peregrine a bit more about their pack. His brow raised a little when both Sunspire and Stavanger Bay were mentioned. He turned his head slightly to the left to better focus his good eye on Floki. Now that he took a good look at him, he reminded Peregrine of someone...

"Are you one of Ragnar's?" he guessed, then flicked his eyes between both Charon and Floki as he added, "Is Tytonidae living here?" He hadn't seen his sweet and simple daughter in ages. If he recalled correctly, she had tried to visit the caldera once, not too long after the incident with Junior. He hadn't seen her for himself, though. Peregrine just hoped she was happy and healthy, whether she was here or elsewhere.

As for what else he wanted to know, the Redhawk thought on it a moment and asked, "Tell me why you want Wildfire to join you." He saw a lot of potential in his smallest Firebird, though he wanted to hear the reasons why these particular wolves wanted to recruit her.

Charon nodded as Peregrine introduced himself to be both Redhawk Caldera's Alpha and Wildfire's father. He then turned to look at Flóki, who after a short pause told about Moonspear. Charon merely nodded to emphasise the words. When Peregrine asked if Flóki was one of Ragnar's, Charon said: "Yes, we are." He didn't normally suggest being biologically Ragnar's son, but somehow it seemed suitable to do so in this situation, because it would also emphasise that he was Flóki's brother, something he did like suggesting (as he was, in all but blood).

As for 'Tytonidae', Charon had never heard of him or her. "Who's that?" he asked nonchalantly. "Can't say anyone's lived at Stavanger Bay in my lifetime." The pack had always been small and tight-knit in Charon's life, growing smaller and smaller in time until it was finally enough and they really needed to move out and up in life.

Another question came, this time in regards to why they'd want Wildfire in their pack. Charon sensed this question was largely for him: after all, Flóki was just a pup in the pack, and Charon was its Alpha. "She's got a good head on her shoulders," Charon said; that was his first and foremost reason to accept most wolves into the pack. Things he thought were important were they either had to be crazy loyal, or crazy smart (or both, ideally, as Charon considered himself to be). Wildfire was pretty smart and as for loyalty, well, he had yet to properly find out that bit. "You know, down to earth, but smart too, and fun to be with. And I know she's serious about contributing to the pack however she can." Wildfire was the kind of wold who wanted to carry her own weight; perhaps not only, Charon guessed loosely, because she wanted the pack to thrive, but mostly because she enjoyed doing things well. He needed wolves like those.

Peregrine hit the nail on the head, identifying Floki's father after what appeared to be only a few seconds of thought. The youth drew up slightly, taking the question as a compliment. He had never thought about whether or not he resembled his deceased father, but there must have been something in his appearance that reminded Peregrine of the former Alpha. He glanced at Charon, who confirmed the Redhawk's suspicions, then addressed Peregrine's other comments.

The name "Tytonidae" didn't ring a bell, and Floki looked to Peregrine for an explanation as to who that was. Perhaps it was a wolf from the Sunspire, although he was fairly certain that whoever it was, they were no longer among Amekaze's ranks. But, more importantly, the conversation quickly shifted to Wildfire, and why they wanted to recruit her to Moonspear.

Floki's cheeks warmed beneath his fur. He let Charon do the talking for now, simply nodding his agreement. In reality, he didn't know Wildfire all that well, but that didn't stop him from liking her -- a lot. Whether or not she decided to join them, he wanted to become more acquainted with her. In the meantime, his mind swirled with his own answers to Peregrine's query: Because she's pretty. She's funny and smart. She's a great outrider. And a good kisser.

It was clear by the looks on their faces that neither knew of Tytonidae. "Ah, just a family member I haven't seen in a while. Never mind," Peregrine replied lightly. He wondered where she might have gone, though he didn't dwell on it. He would always love his sweet eldest child and he liked to think she had moved onto greener pastures somewhere.

The conversation remained focus on his younger child, the fieriest of the Firebirds. He listened intently to Charon's answer. It was a good one. Nowhere in there did he mention or even allude to any romantic interest in his little girl. Peregrine's eyes narrowed thoughtfully, then shifted to Floki. The younger male didn't seem to have anything to add. The fact that two young males—one older than Wildfire and the other younger, by the look of it—wanted to recruit Wildfire couldn't be a coincidence.

But though he felt a protective instinct over all his children, including his daughters, the fact that these two were the fruit of Ragnar's loins scored them major points in the Redhawk's eyes. If he recalled correctly, the old viking was late for his next birthday. But he had left behind some strong sons, by the look of it, even though the math might not have added up if Peregrine had taken the time to think about it more carefully.

"The choice ultimately belongs to no one but Wildfire," the swarthy wolf said to both of them, "but it heartens me, knowing you're Ragnar's boys. He and I go way back, sort of." They had never been pack mates. They hadn't even really been friends. But they had been allies of sorts, with a mutual respect. "Your dad looked after one of my daughters when she was lost as a pup. So if Wifi does end up here, it's sort of poetic that his sons would look after another one of my girls," he mused.

He paused thoughtfully for a few beats, then said, "If she does come here, you will be very lucky wolves. Everything you said about her is correct. She is on the quiet side and not particularly ambitious when it comes to rank but I have never known a more driven wolf. She had three trades by the time she was six months old, if not earlier. You'll be very lucky to have her," he repeated, sounding very much like a proud papa bear in that moment, "and you'd better take good care of her."

Though Charon didn't think much of Dhole romantically (well, sure, she had a cute face, but it wasn't exactly lightning striking all over the place), he did think that she might have a lil' crush on him. Maybe that was part of the reason she wanted to move to Moonspear. However, Charon decided to keep this to himself. Though his real father died when he was young, Charon was smart enough to realise that wasn't anything anyone's dad wanted to hear about their own daughter.

Charon listened with interest to Peregrine's good connections with Ragnar. It was weird, not having him by their side anymore, but his death had, in a way, also opened up the opportunities for Charon to blossom. It was evident that Peregrine felt sad to let his little girl go if she would go, but that he was willing to let her go if she ultimately chose to join Moonspear, which was good news.

Pride was clear in every word Peregrine spoke thereafter, making Wildfire sound like some kind of saint. She was ambitious, Charon could see that, and in all the right areas for him as an Alpha (not in powermongering ways or wanting to move up in the world, but by gaining trades and contributing to her pack). "If that's the decision she makes, I promise we'll take good care of her," Charon said, a confident smile on his face — almost as if he already knew that she would come running to Moonspear sooner or later.

Floki found himself fascinated as Peregrine spoke about Ragnar at length. He didn't often think of his father, as the viking hadn't been in his life long enough to make a real impression, but when Ragnar did cross his mind, he found he was curious. Thistle Cloud rarely mentioned him, probably because the memory of his loss was still painful. So Floki listened intently, though the Redhawk Alpha soon drew the conversation back to Wildfire.

He described his daughter fondly, though it was still clear that the decision hadn't been made just yet. Floki had to wonder if she would be joining them sooner rather than later -- it sounded that way, if Wildfire had talked with her father about it. Peregrine's last statement wasn't necessarily posed as a threat, but it still made Floki feel a little nervous. "You'll be very lucky to have her, and you'd better take good care of her," he said, and the grey youth's gaze slid away, though he nodded all the same.

Charon didn't seem to be phased by Peregrine's intimidating appearance and gave a confident response that Floki echoed with his body language. His tail tip wiggled appeasingly.

He could find no fault with Charon's response. He too acknowledged that it was Wildfire's decision to make, then promised to do as her father asked. Peregrine nodded his head appreciatively, sparing Floki a glance. If his Firebird left the nest, he could think of no better place for her than with Ragnar's sons. Of course, he would prefer she decided to stay at home, though he knew Wildfire and her wandering ways well enough to know her departure was a very real possibility.

"Of course, I'm hoping she'll ultimately choose the caldera, though if she does come here, I can see she'll be in good hands. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, Charon, Floki. Unless you have anything to ask of me, I don't want to take up any more of your time," the swarthy Alpha said. He felt good about this brief encounter but, apart from his daughter's potential involvement with this pack, his interest in Moonspear went no further.

Charon was pleased that Peregrine was happy with their conversation. Flóki seemed nervous, even looked away, though Charon didn't understand why. It was almost like he was hiding something bad that he didn't want Wildfire's dad to know. Peregrine did not seem to mind much though, and so Charon decided to ignore his brother's nervous behaviour too. "Alright, see you 'round," Charon informally said as Peregrine said he intended to leave soon. The young Alpha himself had no further questions either, and so he waited for their meeting to end.

With that, Peregrine concluded the meeting, having gathered the information that he desired. Although Floki found him intimidating, he also had a lot of respect for the Redhawk Alpha, even after just one short interaction. He was approaching Wildfire's potential departure from her birth pack in a level-headed manner, and was willing to let his daughter make the decision on her own. Floki, of course, hoped that Wildfire would choose Moonspear -- and soon! -- but he would just have to wait and see what happened.

"It was nice to meet you," he said, then glanced at Charon. Once Peregrine departed, he would be happy to follow his brother's lead.

Charon and Floki added some parting pleasantries and Peregrine dipped his head. He was pleased with this encounter. Despite the other Alpha's friendly remark, it was unlikely he would ever see either of them again. But they could become his daughter's new life, her new family. That thought would never fail to sink his heart a little, yet again he couldn't complain much. Wildfire would be safe here, happy here, if she came.

"It was good to meet with you too," he said earnestly to young Floki. Then to both of them, he said, "Goodbye." Unhurriedly, the swarthy Alpha turned and made his way home to the caldera.

As quickly as he'd arrived, Wildfire's dad was gone again. Charon watched as he vanished, then turned to Flóki. "Would be pretty cool if Dhole joined up with us, wouldn't it?" he said with a smile, and then he started a patrol along the bottom of the mountain. He turned towards the trees and followed the treeline for a while, rubbing his scent over places and wetting the ground to indicate that Moonspear was really his, while explaining this thing and that to Flóki about patrols and wardening.

feel free to post again or archive as is, Kim!