Redhawk Caldera You bring me sun-sun-sunshine

@Finley oh Finley! Come hither!

It turns out Finley's MIA, so this is now "AW"! :P

Their ranks had thinned somewhat and Peregrine knew they should attempt to recruit, though perhaps having a small pack wasn't such a bad thing. Yes, it meant they were in bad shape should another pack attempt to attack them or their territory. Yet that didn't seem to be an imminent threat and less bodies also meant less mouths to feed. It also meant that they would be more tightly-knit, more able to bond with one another and really cultivate relationships.

Speaking of which, Peregrine hadn't seen his good friend, Finley, in a few days and wanted to catch up with her. In fact, there was something he wanted to ask her. First, he would have to find her, though. Presently, he roamed around the caldera's inner lake, threading along the narrow shoreline and sniffing the air here and there as he tried to catch his subordinate's scent.

Well, our other thread just got finished up, so...

Fox, too, had noticed the lack of comrades in her home. She had been busy scouting out the most appropriate den sites for the spring's brood, but she had also been keenly watching the borders. Ever since that intruder, she had been especially protective of her home. Finley was still here, along with Siv, FitzDutiful, and Magpie, although Fox had scarcely seen the latter. Siv seemed to be the one she saw around the most, though Fitz was certainly still around. Magpie tended to keep to herself, and Fox had a feeling the juvenile was avoiding her anyway.

Perhaps Fox would track her down at some point and make sure she was actually giving back to the pack that had saved her ass. In the meantime, she noticed her mate coming around the lake, and woofed to get his attention. Her ankle was as good as new, and her rib would be in tippy-top shape in no time. She could still feel where it had been fractured from time to time, but the pain was less and less with each passing day. She could even sleep on that side, now!

When Fox materialized rather than Finley, Peregrine couldn't say he was entirely disappointed. He never minded spending time with his mate. Even if they'd just seen five each other five minutes ago, he wouldn't turn down the opportunity to hang out with her. What a sap.

"Hey, foxy lady. Have you seen our trusty Gamma?" he questioned lightly, touching noses with the female Alpha. Finley's scent was still strong, so he didn't doubt her loyalty for a moment, though he sighed as he acknowledged, "Seems several of our members have poofed... that, or they slid to their deaths at the bottom of the lake," he joked darkly.

Fox shook her head. “Not today, no,” she replied. Although it didn't feel like she was missing, exactly. When he joked about their members drowning in the lake, Fox glanced at it apprehensively. “I sure hope not,” she said, “The last thing we need is some accursed lake.” Fox wondered briefly if there was some hideous monster living in the water, snatching up wolves when they came to close to the shore. But she'd spent the first couple of weeks by the edge of the lake, so she doubted that was the case.

“Wanna hear what I’ve been up to?” she asked, eyes bright and hoping knowing he wouldn't be able to say no. She was eager to tell him about all the various den sites she'd looked at. Perhaps she could show him each one and see what he thought about them. They still had plenty of time to choose, she knew, but if they found the perfect one right now, it meant they could start filling caches nearby and scouting out the local water sources nearest to it.

"Accursed?" Peregrine repeated. He was unfamiliar with the word and thought his mate had simply mispronounced it. "Accursed? Do you mean cursed, dear?" he teased, unaware that he was the dumb one.

In any event, her question, coupled with the look in her eye, caught his attention immediately. "Yes," he replied emphatically, "I would." His tail switched and he looked at her expectantly.

Yay, they can both be dumb!

Fox wasn't quite sure what had caused her to say "accursed" rather than "cursed," but when Perry corrected her, she stuck out her tongue and shrugged her shoulders. It had sounded right, but now that he'd said something about it, she suddenly felt like perhaps she'd gotten it wrong after all. Not the type to dwell on such trivial matters for long, she wagged her tail when he agreed to hear about what she'd been doing lately.

“Scouting out dens!” she replied, perhaps a bit too excitedly. “I found some—I think you should come take a look with me, if you’re not so terribly busy being a big bad leader wolf.” She wanted to make sure they had the most absolutely perfect spot for their children. It would be where they spent the first few important months of their lives, and she would have nothing but the very best. The mere thought of having them romp around in the confines of a den caused her heart to beat more quickly in her chest.

Fox's enthusiasm was infectious, not that Peregrine needed an excuse to become excited over the prospect of their young. "Oh, yeah?" he asked, then motioned for her to lead the way. "Never too busy for you, future baby mama," he teased, waiting for his mate to turn and begin walking before romping after her and giving her juicy red rump a flirtatious nip.

Fox yelped giddily when he nipped her, then bounded toward their first stop. The going wasn't particularly rough, and the crunchy leaves beneath their feet sucked away the silence of the afternoon. Overhead, it was cloudy, and the heat of summer was long gone. Occasionally, the young leader would glance over at her counterpart and grin at him stupidly, for no reason other than the fact that she was in a good mood and he was there to share it with her.

When they rounded a particularly rocky bend in the old deer trail, Fox pranced over to their first option like an overzealous realtor. It was a mound of earth with a hole in the middle. Nothing fancy, but they were just wolves, after all. There were a couple of fallen logs propped up by the sides that almost gave it the appearance of having a wooden entryway. Roots stuck out from the sides as well, and Fox gnawed at one with her teeth for no reason other than it was something to chew on. Spitting out the grime that it left in her mouth, she looked back to Peregrine.

“Whatcha think of this one?” It wasn't her top choice, but if she'd shown him that first, it would have been such a short trip!

He trotted after her, enjoying her high spirits, though his mind suddenly wandered back to Finley. Where was their trusty sub-leader? He sincerely doubted she had absconded with the others, though he couldn't shake the niggling feeling that there was something ominous about her absence. It would really suck if anything happened to her before Peregrine had the chance to ask her to be their Beta.

He came back to attention when Fox drew up in front of a makeshift hole in the wall, its entrance accented with some crisscrossed roots and logs. Peregrine stood back to ascertain the place, his tail waving slowly, then met his mate's eyes and gave a nod of approval.

"Not that it matters—it's entirely your call—but I like it. How big is it inside?" he wondered even as he took a few steps toward the dark entryway.

“Enough for you, me, and at least a dozen little ones, just like we planned,” Fox jested, poking his shoulder with her nose. “It should be your call, too, though,” she added, “considering you’ll be waiting on me day and night until they’re ready to come out. I want to make sure everything is perfect.” And that meant making Peregrine happy as well as herself. “Let’s go see the next one!” she chirped, nudging his hip and prancing toward destination number two. It wasn't too terribly far from their current location, and they arrived within ten minutes or so.

This particular one was more a crevice than the last one, made of stones that looked as if they'd been stacked on top of one another. It was less stuffy, Fox thought, though still not her favorite of all the ones she'd found. There were ferns near the entrance, giving it a bit of a prehistoric feel, and she glanced expectantly back at Peregrine once more. Even though he said it was up to her, she still wanted his opinion.

"A girl like you? I doubt you'll be off your feet much before they're born," he replied. He knew the last few weeks might be tough on her, especially considering her size, but he was sure Fox would be out and about up until the last moment. "Okay," was his only other comment as she lured him away from the first potential den site on to the next one.

This one was fortified by large slabs of stone. Peregrine immediately liked it over the first. The hanging ivy and ferns were a nice touch too. "I like the wider entrance," he observed, taking a few moments to explore the site.

He eventually turned to Fox and said, "I'd give the first one a six out of ten. This one's a seven or eight. What else do you have to show me?"

I am enjoying looking at wolf dens. :B

“Not out of me, silly!” she replied, swatting at him playfully. “I meant out of the den.” Fox fully intended to spend every second of her pregnancy doing what she had always done. But when her children were born, she would be sure to look after them day and night with little reprieve. Especially during the first few weeks, she would be their only food source. Her pups, she had decided, would be as plump as possible. And Peregrine's hunting skills would come in handy, considering she would be eating for a dozen or more (if all went according to plan).

He seemed to like their current prospect more than the last one, and Fox nodded. “More to protect, though,” she commented. Being vulnerable was not exactly her cup of tea, especially when she would be fending off whatever came near her and the pups. When he asked what more she had to show, she tugged on his ear and then jogged to the next site. This one had a triangular entrance, the top being formed by a hefty log. The foliage was sparse, leaving it feel more open and airy compared to the last two. Not only that, but it wasn't nearly as well hidden as the previous sites had been.

“Just one more after this one,” she said, giving him time to investigate this one while she waited.

I am also enjoying den shopping. :)

"Oh," Peregrine replied sheepishly. "In that case, you are right: I will happily wait on you—and them—hand and foot." He punctuated this promise with a quick nuzzle.

Soon they were onto prospective den number three. He liked the setup at first glance, particularly the unique shape of the doorway, but upon further inspection, Peregrine shook his head lightly and shot Fox an apologetic glance. He just didn't like this one much. The stuffed wolf standing guard didn't do much for him either.

"It's too open. Also, it smells like it's been used recently. Next stop?"

She nodded in agreement. It wasn't quite her style, and she was glad that they shared the same view on that. Sure, they didn't agree on everything, but Fox had never expected them to. Their bond was a partnership—an agreement to make compromises when and where they needed to. Not that she thought they would need to often, but the thought was often in the back of her mind when she interacted with her beau. He asked to move on to the next one, and Fox pranced toward it. It was her favorite out of all the ones she'd found, and she hoped that her lover would think the same.

It took her a moment to find it (which reminded her of how hidden it felt), but eventually they came to a small hobbit-like hole in the ground, the top and sides covered in thick, green moss. It was bathed in sunshine, and a single, old and dry log laid across the top of it. Fox had never been terribly good at hiding her emotions, and it was clear by her rapidly wagging tail and expectant look to Peregrine that this was her top pick. The leaves that had accumulated just outside the entrance could easily be moved in, creating a soft bed for them and their children.

As I was writing this, my butt vibrated. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and Tyler had texted, "I have hiccups forever! They hurt. I hate them." Sometimes he is an unwitting muse.

Their final option was more concealed than the last, immediately putting it higher in the running. He moved past Fox, casting her a sideways smile as her enthusiasm was rather adorable. He sniffed around the doorway, then turned to check out the view from there. Eventually, his eyes wandered back to the Alpha female's pretty face.

"I like this one or the second one the best. I'm pretty sure I can tell which one you like best," he said, stepping nearer to his mate and slipping her a nuzzle. "Welcome home?" he said inquisitively, cocking his head at her and waiting in silence, save for a loud and unexpected hiccup.

Fox grinned widely, her happiness evident in the way she looked at the father-to-be. Sometimes, she forgot that he already had children. Fox had hardly been involved in their lives (which only made it more puzzling as to why they hated her so). She wondered if their own children were more likely to stay, or if they would go away, like all of Perry's children had. Considering Fox had left before her first birthday, she sort of expected her own offspring to do the same. Watching them leave the nest would be difficult, no doubt, and she was thinking this before she'd even conceived them.

“You want to help me push some of these leaves in there?” she asked, touching him lightly on the head (with a bit of stretching on her part, considering their height difference). “Maybe after that, we can do some baby-making practice…” she said suggestively. Her rib was definitely feeling better these days, and she found herself wanting him again. The past month had been difficult for them in that regard, but now that they'd found the birthplace for their children, it seemed only natural to practice making them.

Fadey fade? :)

"I'm not sure there's enough room for vigorous activity in there..." Peregrine said doubtfully, purposely misinterpreting her intentions. He waggled his eyebrows at her, then happily fell to assisting her with the leaves.

Afterward, the Alpha male mused randomly, "I meant to find Finley. I wanted to ask her about the Beta thing..." Because, naturally, he and Fox had talked it over beforehand. Peregrine's brow furrowed, then she shrugged, letting it go for now. "I'm sure she'll turn up... probably at an inopportune time... like mid-bang."

But he wasn't going to let that possibility stop him. Peregrine gave his wife's rump a suggestive bite, then nudged her to more even ground, where they could practice the art of procreation. Because everyone knows that practice makes perfect.

She grinned, then nipped at his shoulder to let him know how silly he was. Fox then wiggled into the den, sneezing at the musty smells inside. They weren't bad, necessarily, but she could tell it hadn't been occupied in a long time. That was a plus, as far as she was concerned. As Peregrine pushed the leaves through the entrance, Fox worked on pushing them to the sides of the den, creating a nice, cozy layer of warmth for them. The cushion would stay there through the winter, if all went according to plan, and it would make for a fine whelping and weaning den. Now that they had their special little place, she was even more eager to make the babies happen.

Hesitantly, she wriggled out of the den and into the cooler outside air. It was definitely going to be comfy in there, and she could already tell it would be a welcome relief to the bitter cold of winter. “She’s probably just doing her outrider thing,” Fox assured him with a lick to his muzzle. “And if she does… well, that’s her problem, not ours!” she giggled. With his nudge to more level ground, she took a few playful bounds away from him, turning back with a mischievous grin before taking off. “You’ll have to chase this tail, buddy!” she called out, though in all honesty, she would stop as soon as he asked her of it, and the love-making would commence.