Redhawk Caldera The front lines - the edge of death

Whether it was a good idea to go out or not, Koume did so without a second thought. She was old enough to hunt now - to return home safely, and she had to get over her fear of getting lost yet again. While it still showed she had been on the brink of death not so long ago, her body had gotten stronger and it was more manageable to travel again. Not far, of course, just far enough to hunt and... well, run into packs, it seemed. She had not planned to make "friends", but now was a better time than ever. From her hunt she had gotten a rabbit and she decided that would be her peace offering for this place. How had no one told of this place? It really wasn't far.

She placed her kill just outside the border and took place a bit away from it, throwing her head back to howl for whoever wanted to come.

It was the smell of fresh blood that made her slow to a stop, but the underlying scent of a wolf was what prompted Towhee to pivot quite suddenly and break into a gallop back toward the stretch of border she had already swept. A black figure appeared in the distance and the guardian's throat rumbled with the beginnings of a growl as she closed in on the unwanted caller. Her sharp eyes picked up details—the stranger's vivid gaze, the dead hare at her feet—before she screeched to a halt in front of the unfamiliar wolf, putting herself between her and the pack's territory.

"What do you want?" Towhee demanded in her slightly distorted cadence, her voice brusque but otherwise toneless. Her orange eyes bored into the other young she-wolf, her ears pressing forward aggressively and her tail lashing a few times before arching above her hips.

Her bone-y chest poked out proudly; dutifully, and she felt on top of the world. The coming snarl of the younger female did not startle her nor made it her feel any less than she was. She had survived the impossible, there was no way she'd die today. Only an otherworldly force could bring her down now, and perhaps even then would it not destroy her spirit. Her expression remained neutral, her respect only going to elders, as she shoved the hare closer to the feisty girl. If she had known she'd been greeted like this, she wouldn't have come. Or, at least, she'd have brought her brother along. At least he was decent company.

I have come to bring a gift. She explained shortly, bluntly. Unless my kindness is not appreciated here, then I could use the meat myself. She added, not hiding her thin, malnourished body.

When the stranger saw fit to posture pretentiously, Towhee's lip curled at the blatant disrespect. "We don't need your handouts. Get away from our borders, now," the young guardian replied. Even if she had known a food shortage would strike in the coming days, she would've turned her nose up at meat offered by someone who clearly thought too highly of herself. She punctuated her words with a growl and a sign that even someone unfamiliar with ptero would easily understand: -Get lost!-

It just so happened that on this day Charon finally made the choice to visit Redhawk Caldera's new leaders and see what they were like. He made his way up to the borders when in the distance he saw another wolf. He wouldn't normally really care, but he noticed the white streak across the wolf's back and he'd only seen a wolf so specifically marked once before — or rather, twice before, at the same time.

He'd recognise Potema's pups anywhere, even though she was more grown up now, and instantly felt protective. Especially with the crazy Redhawk wolves around, he felt it wasn't safe to have her wander around unsupervised. Where was Potema? Never mind that he had wandered around on his own at this age all the time, and that he didn't even remember either of the pups' names, let alone knew anything about them or knew who this one was. But as far as he knew, they were his, and that was enough to make him approach. Fuck if he knew what he was even doing or why.

He could tell by the body language of the youth that greeted his daughter at the borders (and the lack of submission from his daughter) that this wasn't going well so far. He approached beside his daughter and though normally he might keep his arrogance to himself at another pack's borders he now curled tail over his back dominantly as he spoke: "You have no authority here, little girl. Maybe you should let your Alphas greet your visitors instead if you're going to be a fucking rude brat." Though he hadn't heard her words he could tell they hadn't been nice. Probably. Well, whatever, she had an arrogant look on her face.

He couldn't help but wonder if this was another one of Peregrine's shitbag children, one of Dhole's siblings. He'd heard the news that Peregrine was dead, but probably wouldn't have gone without whirling some more trash into the world first. Charon had completely forgotten that he had come here to talk to the new Alphas to see what could be salvaged rather than create more bad blood.

It took Elwood some time to respond to the caller at the borders; he had to disentangle himself from where he lay with Clover, Tegan, Lucca, and Fiadh sprawled around him. One by one, he plucked each puppy up and placed him or her next to Finley, leaving them in the capable care of their mother. He would rather have stayed put, but duty was quite literally calling him.

His feet carried him at a brisk trot, but even so, it was no surprise that Towhee was already on the scene. There was a pitiful-looking youth standing opposite her, and as Elwood drew near enough to hear the conversation, a white male approached as well. Before the other adult even spoke, Elwood's hackles prickled; he did not appreciate the stranger's body language.

Pulling his lips back from his teeth, the Alpha moved to stand next to Towhee. He held his own head and tail high, making pointed eye contact with the unfamiliar male. "And you have even less authority than she does," he snapped, having caught the threatening words. Taking a step forward, he said, "Get out." He didn't care what kind of intentions had brought either wolf to his doorstep; they were now unwelcome.

The commander raised a brow at the younger girl. Perhaps she thought it was poisoned? Though she knew her uncle was into those things, she herself preferred untainted food at all times.  She lifted a paw, dragging the hare back to her when an awfully familiar form entered the scene. Where did she know him from? Why was he defending her? Why did she feel protected under his gaze? She stuck up her nose, finding that she had been handling this situation just fine on her own. Sure, the other girl was being quite the nasty one, but nothing she couldn't deal with. A call to her brother and he would be there to defend her. At least he was good for something.

It seemed the somewhat stranger had only made things worse, another male entering the scene quite angrily. Honestly, this pack is filled with sociopaths... She let out with a sigh, shrugging her boney shoulders. Don't think ever to be welcome near our woods then, ungrateful bums. She'd report to Nyx, even though not all seemed to agree with her being their Dark Mistress for the time being. Koume could tolerate the woman, though preferred her own mother over her and perhaps even Damien.

She turned to the man who was now called "Freckles" in her mind, giving a slight nod. Thank you for trying, though they appear to not know reason.

Before the unwelcome guest could react, another wolf abruptly materialized. Towhee took a step backward, tail arching but head lowering defensively as her ears slicked back against her head. The newcomer's body language presented both a challenge and a threat as he came to stand astride the younger female. He said something, though for whatever reason, Towhee couldn't read his lips particularly well. She caught a few of the words, enough to prickle the fur along her spine indignantly.

She felt a presence come to stand at her flank. Towhee did not look at him, though she detected her uncle's scent and sidestepped to press their shoulders together. She glared at the audacious twosome, and as soon as she felt the growl vibrating through the Alpha male's frame, she complemented it. There was no way for her to know how loud it came out, though she put all her angry energy into it, so hopefully it served its purpose.

But neither wolf budged. Towhee watched shrewdly as the youthful she-wolf spoke. Her lips were easier to read. "We don't give a damn about you or your pack! Get away from ours!" The guardian sprang forward, snapping her jaws in the open air but holding back from an outright attack. She wanted to leap at either one of the interlopers and tear off their faces, yet she would only do so if cued by Elwood.

So focussed had he been on his own daughter that Charon didn't notice the other wolf coming. He looked up as he spoke and stood beside the Redhawk girl, berating Charon for trying to show authority in a place that wasn't his. Well, maybe he was right, but fuck it if Charon was going to admit that to anyone right now, especially in front of his daughter. The only sane one was his daughter, and Charon felt a surge of pride as she called them sociopaths and then told them they weren't welcome near her pack.

As the Redhawk girl spoke Charon stared at her like she was crazy, having never heard a deaf wolf speak before. He might've already turned tail and left in any other situation but he was so taken aback by her weird way of speaking that he instead stood and stared at her even as she snapped at him. It was like watching something take place in full speed but everything you did was slow motion. "What the fuck is wrong with your voice, you little freak," he said calmly as soon as he had his wits together and realised he'd been standing and staring at her when she could've easily shredded him if she wanted.

There was little time to appreciate his daughter's thank-you then as he feared retaliation and these wolves'd be in their right to do so. His daughter wasn't in the best of shapes and he didn't think he could handle two wolves, especially if they were crazy. Sensing it was time to leave he nudged his daughter's shoulder and even as he trotted away from their borders called over his shoulder; "I hoped the new Alphas here weren't as retarded as the last, but I guess I was wrong!" He was ready to take a sprint if that would trigger either of them to set in the chase to try and get a bite out of his butt. He hoped that his daughter followed along and maybe he could speak to her alone for a little bit once they'd taken their distance from this pack of loonybins.

Elwood heard each word spoken by both the youth and the freckled adult, but he chose not to register them. The young girl could have had a chance with him, despite Towhee's negative reaction to her presence and her gift. However, as soon as the male arrived and began making assumptions and inappropriate claims of dominance, any sliver of respect Elwood might have had for them was gone. It was a shame that he didn't realize just who he was dealing with; had he known this was Charon, who had hassled Sassafras, he might have had a more physical message to deliver.

Rather than speak further -- even as Towhee shouted at and moved towards the interlopers -- Elwood simply stared at them stonily. He would let them think what they wanted; as long as they were away from his borders in the next few seconds, he didn't care. He had made his feelings quite clear and he did not alter his posture even as the two unwelcome wolves began to make their departure. The white male's insults fell on deaf ears, literally and figuratively. Elwood couldn't remember a time that he had encountered such immaturity, and certainly wouldn't justify him with a response.

As the pair began to put distance between themselves and the caldera's borders, Elwood glanced at Towhee. He shifted to nudge her shoulder with his own, though his head and tail remained elevated and he quickly planted his gaze once more on the twosome's retreating figures. "You okay?" he asked, although he already knew the answer. She was probably perfectly fine, and he couldn't help but feel proud of the way she had defended their pack.

Koume didn't even budge, holding perfectly still as the weird-sounding girl spat some more nonsense and snapped at her. She didn't even glare at her. Koume was fiery, yes, but truly getting her angry about such childish things? Fairly impossible if one would ask her. She sighed, turning to the speckled male. She was glad the stranger(?) had come, but if he were to get hurt in their situation she would not feel bad. It had been his own decision to come help her out (which only raised more questions).

When winter comes, you will wish you had allies in our woods. Good day to you. She nodded, grabbed her "gift", then followed the male when he nudged her. The feeling of his muzzle on her shoulder felt weirdly nice, as if this was something he was supposed to do. Like this is what he should've been doing for a long time now. How quaint. She decided she must return home - especially to tell her brother she was okay. She didn't know if the speckled male wanted to accompany her on her way back but didn't mind the comfortable silence between them as they retreated for a while.

The cue never came, which didn't surprise Towhee. It frustrated her a little as she glowered after the strangers' retreating backsides. Their behavior had been galling to the extreme, definitely deserving of some righteous wrath. But Elwood evidently chose to rise above, so the Xi had no choice but to do the same.

When their unwelcome guests were gone, the Alpha male nudged her. Towhee nodded mutely, then signed, -What just happened?- The young female's presence had made some sense but it was her counterpart's abrupt arrival that was really throwing the guardian for a loop. -Who was he? What did he say? I couldn't really read his lips. I could read hers, though. Why on earth does she think we'll need their help in winter?- Towhee snorted loudly.

As soon as Charon noted that they weren't following behind he relaxed, no longer ready for a fight because they weren't going for it. Charon smiled at his daughter before turning back towards the road. He tagged along for a while without saying much of note and looked at Blackfeather Woods appearing in the distance. Charon thought of Potema and wondered what it would be like to see her again; would it be uncomfortable, or would things be like they used to be now that they'd cleared the air last time? This pup'd been there too, but he didn't remember her name.

As the forest approached and therefore the moment they were to split up too Charon introduced: "I'm Charon Ostrega, from Moonspear," he introduced; "Redhawk Caldera's always been a terrible neighbour." So it was no fault of hers that they were rude now. "Look, uh," Brief pause. "I'll visit you some other time, if you'd like, and we can talk some more. Your mother's an old friend of mine." He smiled at the child and unless she would say something more that'd keep him around he would turn and start returning to Moonspear.

my last post unless Koume says anything that requires an answer. :)

He didn't respond right away; he kept watching the two wolves, until he was fully satisfied that they weren't coming back. Then Elwood turned back to Towhee as she rapidly began to sign a series of questions. He was still lacking in his ability to communicate effectively through ptero, but he had improved enough to be able to easily interpret Towhee's words. He didn't really have a good answer for her, though; the pair's behavior was, in his opinion, inexplicable.

"An asshole," he replied flatly, in response to her query about the male. He didn't know his name or where he had come from, but he had cemented himself as a jerk in Elwood's mind. "As for the pup, I have no idea why she thinks we'll need help in winter, or why she thinks she has the right to offer it to us. What did she say to you before I got here?" he asked.

She kept silent, mismatched eyes flicking up at the male beside her every now and then. How could she trust him? Sure, he may or may not have prevented an ugly scene, but she didn't actually know him. Then why did he feel so normal? As if she'd have been with him all along? The thought was ridiculous, of course; her family was where she belonged, kept in the dark forevermore. She halted when he spoke, turning to him with ears swiveling curiously about. Moonspear? Where was that?

Why would you visit again? I don't know you. She immediately told, not waiting on the rest. She barely caught the last bit, but something clicked when she did hear it. Why did you leave her? She asked.

She arched an eyebrow. It wasn't easily or often that Elwood swore, so the wolf must have said something extremely disagreeable. Towhee felt her fur prickling, sensing he had said something awful about her specifically. But if he had, it wasn't worth worrying about, she reminded herself. What did she care about the opinions of asshole strangers that popped up at the borders like a bad rash?

To answer her uncle's question, Towhee thought a moment, then shrugged. "Nothing much. She tried to give me some meat, all the while refusing to show me any kind of respect." The young guardian snorted loudly and indignantly. She then shook her head. None of it made any particular sense, though Towhee wasn't going to stand here and try to explain the inexplicable actions of others.

"I'm going to finish up my patrol," she said, then thought aloud, "and probably make it a double, just in case..." She blinked in the direction the pair had gone, then back at Elwood. The tip of her tail wiggled. "I'll catch up with you later, Uncle Elwood." The youth turned, dutifully resuming her disrupted circuit.

Shit, she didn't introduce herself back to him, so he'd have to do without her name for now, something that frustrated him as he felt awkward asking his own daughter for her name. Something with a K — Potema had introduced them when she'd visited. Both something with a K, that's why he remembered, but what precisely? Kobo? Kittobo? Kateninna — okay, maybe he had no idea what the fuck either of them were called. Not like he could tell them apart, anyway, but it would've been helpful if he had had either of their names, damn it.

Her words were raw and it showed for a split second before he put on his cool façade. He wasn't going to let some dumb kid make him feel bad. He'd done the right thing, always had, always would. She didn't understand the situation, and that was fine. Why shouldn't he visit his friend Potema? And his new.. friend, or whatever the fuck she was, when he was there anyway? "I didn't leave her. We just grew up together, but from different packs. We're friends." He sounded a bit defensive towards the end there. He hadn't meant to sound defensive. "Just tell her Charon said hi, okay?"

He left his other sentence unmentioned, the silent promise of a visit. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. Whatever. This kid obviously didn't really give two shits about him anyway. Maybe he'd visit. He wanted to visit. With those last words Charon turned away from the girl and started making his way back towards Moonspear, home, family, while he considered that he may've fucked up.

Whatever, they'd never liked Redhawk Caldera anyway.

So sorry! Didn't realize I skipped! Please tell me if to remove my post, but since they're not really even with each other I don't know if it matters who posts first?

She felt like she didn't need a name. What were they but a rather smart way of recognizing someone besides just looking at their coat? Their eyes? Besides, it was not her name that made her herself, it was her story. The male seemed uninterested in either, something she had gotten used to. She was but a scrawny thing, no importance or grace simply gained from her appearance. All she had was her, and with that alone could she rule the world.

Alright. She replied rather suspiciously with the intention of really telling @Potema of the freckled man. At least she'd get a bit of recognition for it - who would've thought she would be the one to find an old friend of the family? It was a lucky stumble. Tipping her head to the side when he left she found herself on her own again. Soon though, she raised her chin and made her way back home.

No worries -- this will be my last post with Elwood, anyway! And looks like everyone else is done too so I'll archive! :)

"Weird," was Elwood's initial reply to Towhee, and while he didn't say much else, he would certainly think about her report and pass it on to Finley at some point. It wasn't uncommon for wolves to ask for friendship between packs, but to do so without displaying any respect for the residents? It didn't make any sense. And he couldn't understand why the white male had crashed the party, since he didn't smell anything like the young female.

When Towhee excused herself, Elwood nodded his farewell. There was no need to say anything out loud, because she was already turning away from him. He pivoted in the opposite direction, planning to complete a patrol of his own just to make sure that there wouldn't be any other unexpected visitors that day.