Redhawk Caldera March madness

For any/all puppies! Plus Peregrine and/or Fox if you want! :) @Ferret @Gannet @Peter @Whip

Now that the firebirds had been introduced to the rest of the pack, their parents were finally welcoming a few visitors. Elwood waited a few days, then approached the den at mid-morning, hoping to catch the babies while they were awake. He knew that they would spend a lot of their time sleeping, though at this age they were beginning to become more mobile. Fox and Peregrine would likely have their hands full soon enough, especially if the pups had inherited either of their personalities.

With a lean hare clasped in his jaws, Elwood padded towards the whelping area, his posture low and nonthreatening. He dropped the rabbit in the warm spring grass and then flattened himself onto his belly, forelegs stretched out in front of him. He gave a chuff, announcing his presence, then waited patiently to see whether he would be greeted by an adult or a child.

He crouched in the mouth of the den, a sentinel one might think, guarding his family from the terrors beyond. But no, the boy was channeling his inner cat. The sort of asshole cat that hides beneath the furniture and swats your ankles, claws out, as you walk by. He was clever in a terrible way even at this age, and he knew that something or someone was bound to come by, and sure enough...

He chittered as he saw the gray wolf approaching, knowing entertainment was close at hand. No sooner had Elwood arrived and dropped the rabbit did the devil shoot forward from its lair. His aim was on the wolf, but he tumbled to a halt as he tried to stop himself, having spotted the other thing.

His fur was poofed out as he was momentarily spooked by the unexpected, but soon his "oh shit!" face turned into an impish "oh yeah?" and he marbled up to the rabbit, posturing aggressively before challenging it outright with a bite to its dead nose.

As soon as Elwood exhaled, emitting his breathy, wordless greeting, a small figure rocketed out of the den. He looked down sharply, his gaze falling on the creamy figure of one of the boys. None of them had names yet, but this one would be easy to distinguish from his brothers; his coat was marked with a very particular pattern, his eyes masked by what could only be describe as a bandit's mask.

With all the uncoordinated grace of a young puppy, the boy lunged towards Elwood then suddenly feinted and changed course, having been distracted by the rabbit at the adult's feet. Elwood watched with amusement as the pup's little hackles bristled, then he charged forward to mouth the hare's snout aggressively. "Get it," the Beta encouraged, plopping onto his haunches to watch the battle between puppy and dead rabbit.

I waited a bit to see if anyone else wanted in but lol

The nose-bite had no effect. The creature remained still, and for that, the pup was perturbed. He wanted a reaction, and so he tried again, and again... and still, the thing refused to entertain him or be exciting at all. Frustrated, he growled and scooted around to the rabbit's neck, burying his face in the fur as he tried to sink his teeth into something, and once he had, he shook his head and growled.

He managed to shift the rabbit such a wee amount he did not even notice he had done it, but having his nose sunk into the soft pelage soon meant he was engulfed in scent and could not ignore it. He paused, and dropped his biting in favor of curious sniffing. There was some instinct that eventually said to him, "hey dumbass, it's dead", and with that came a behavior switch. He started to lick and pluck at the fur, his tail wiggling as the predator in him activated.

Elwood watched with amusement evident on his face as the youngster picked at the dead rabbit. It was fascinating to see one of the pack's newest members exploring his instincts and learning the cause-and-effect of using his senses. Under Elwood's gaze, he eventually gave up attacking the carcass and instead began to sniff it heartily -- which soon led to a different kind of assault.

The boy's miniature tongue licked at the hare's fur, and his pleasure was evident in the rapid motion of his tail. "Mmm," Elwood said. "It's tasty. Someday you'll start eating meat."

The pup lifted his head to glance at Eljay, but soon turned back to picking at the fur. He managed to pull some free, and discovered that it stuck to his tongue and clung to his lips in the most irritating way. One strand even tickled a nostril, drawing forth a squeaky sneeze. "Baw!" he seemed to say as he pawed at his face and rubbed his snout across the ground, and once he had himself free of the evil clutches of rabbit down, he mounted another assault. Barking and growling as ferocious as he could muster (he was convinced he was a spectacle of terror), he savaged the rabbit, pulling out all kinds of fur in a tantrum-like frenzy.

It was already clear that the boy was feisty, but he only emphasized that further after the rabbit's fur tickled a sneeze out of him. He apparently didn't enjoy the sensation that the reflex caused, and blamed it on the hare -- after furiously scrubbing his face with his paw and the grass at his feet, he attacked the carcass once more.

This time, he was more aggressive than before. He ripped out the rabbit's hair ferociously, while squealing and squeaking (because that's what his fearsome barks and growls sounded like to an adult's ears) while Elwood simply watched with amusement. After a moment, he reached out and pushed the rabbit towards the pup, moving it suddenly and quickly as though it was approaching him of its own volition.

Having the rabbit suddenly come at him was not the least bit expected. The boy sprang backwards and sideways, fur raised and little bitty puppy teeth bared in a comical look caught between a snarl and surprise. His ears flicked as he tried to sort out how he felt about this, until what was becoming his primary trait - boldness, and all things that go with it - took hold. He marched back to the rabbit and gave it a piece of his mind, barking in its face before smacking it with a paw.

The little Redhawk's surprise lasted only momentarily; Elwood grinned as he backed away from the rabbit quickly, his tiny hackles bristling defensively. But in the next instant, he was barking at the dead animal again, having returned to a close proximity to its face and delivered a derisive slap with his little paw.

Reaching out with his own much larger foot, Elwood stabilized the rabbit and then leaned down. Although the pup wouldn't yet be consuming meat independently, he seized the bunny's leg and pulled it away from its body. He snapped the joint and then presented it to his nephew, ears pressed forward curiously as he waited to see the boy's reaction.

He would have continued berating and beating the poor rabbit's face had Elwood not presented him with something far more interesting. His eyes, yet still blue, snapped to the disembodied leg, and his tail wagged. This was something he could handle, and he made a sudden lunge forward, seized the leg in his mouth, and then skedaddled down into the den, only to skid to a halt as he realized, jealously, that this was his and he did not want to share it. He backed up out of the den, shooting his uncle a 'don't you dare' sort of look before scuttling around the backside of the den and finding a bush in which to deposit his prize.

Or that was the plan, but after taking one step away from it he felt a flicker of panic, of distrust, and decided he could not leave the leg unattended. So, thinking himself clever, he hid himself in the bush too and gnawed peacefully on his leg. His black-tipped tail, sweeping side to side, stuck out from his hidey place so there was no mistaking where he was hiding... but as far as he was concerned he was alone with the trophy.

My last post! I'm looking forward to more threads with Ferret as he gets older. >D

Elwood could all but see the boy's thought process as he seized the rabbit's leg and made off with it. His first choice was to bring it to the den, but when he quickly retreated Elwood realized that he was likely unwilling to share with his brothers. He gave a chortling laugh when the pup gave him a very particular stare -- one that clearly said, "This is mine!" -- before roaming around the backside of the den. Elwood did not hesitate to follow, though he hung back so as not to draw the child's attention immediately.

He snickered at the sight of a small, black-tipped tail emerging from the underbrush. Not wishing to disturb the young Redhawk, he began to slink away quietly, but only after exchanging a knowing glance with Peregrine and Fox -- naturally, the parents were always nearby, and one of them would keep an eye on the pup once his uncle departed.

Go put a girlfriend for him in Fin's belly. Shoo! >:]

He tore some fur and even managed to put some marks into the flesh before he whirled around and stuck his black-masked face out from under the bush. The coast was clear, and he grinned and hehehe'd! in a devilish fashion as he turned back to the prize. Here he would stay for sometime, until a passing beetle lured him forth and then sleepiness coaxed him into a impromptu nap mid-pursuit. Probably one of his parents picked him up and threw him in the den, then.