Redhawk Caldera it's always sunny

All (RHC members) welcome!

Fox had left her patrol of the border for the day, with the sun slowly setting to the west. She was heading back toward the den, but it was still another thirty or forty minutes from where she currently was, so she had plenty of opportunities to run into one or more of her pack-mates on the way. Fox was jogging at a comfortable pace, thinking of the winter and what it would bring. Not only that, but she was anxious for nature to prepare her for children. Nothing of significance had happened thus far, and while she had a vague idea of what to expect, she did not know for certain what it would be like.

Hopefully, the time would come sooner rather than later, and she could set her worries aside. Setting those thoughts aside, she tried to think of Peregrine. He could always make her smile, even if it was just the thought of him. “Oh gods,” she whispered, “I’m becoming some kind of terrible romantic.” That only made her grin grow wider. Before she had met Peregrine, she had been more of a hard-assed leader. She was no pushover now, but she had to admit that she had softened up a bit. Instead of picking fights, she had been settling for chasing others off. Funny how a single wolf could change so much about her.

There had been a sharp chill on the wind that morning when Siv had stepped outside of her den. Immediately, her breath had struck the air and had gone billowing from her nose and mouth in a great cloud of heat. The breezes that carried whispers of winter had wound their way along her spine throughout most of her day, but Siv found that if she kept active, it did not perturb her quite as much. She’d taken to hunting; filling the caches was a rough job, but she had made a good start on them. With a freshly caught hare clasped in her jaws, Siv thought it best to take the prey to Fox and to check in on the fiery-furred leader. The last she’d seen of her, Fox’s injuries were still healing and she was taking it as easily as she could in hopes of a strong recovery. Siv was certain that she would have been a-okay after a short while.

Trekking up the small slope with a determined expression, the coywolf caught scent of her leader much earlier than she had anticipated. Flicking her bright blue gaze upwards, she saw the trailing tail-end of the russet-coated woman just barely move out of sight. Putting a kick in her step, Siv darted after Fox with heavy breaths between holding the hare in her jaws and attempting to catch up to the fire-furred female. When the distance was closed enough so that Siv’s words would not be drowned by the fur in between her lips, she let out a soft chuff and slowed her pace just slightly.

A greeting behind her made Fox turn around to face the chuffer (lulz) and she saw a familiar, albeit absent as-of-late face. “Well, if it isn’t Siv Savoy!” she greeted. Fox couldn't remember exactly when the last time she'd seen her near-twin, but she had to admit that she was glad that the girl hadn't run off from the caldera. She had probably been busy doing something or another, Fox assured herself. It wasn't like Siv had been ignoring her or anything. Siv was one of the many wolves of the caldera that Fox was happy to have around. In fact, she wasn't sure there were any wolves that she didn't like having around.

“What have you been up to, ol’ girl?” Fox asked. Considering Siv hadn't been at the pumpkin party, nor had Fox seen her since she'd had the run-in with the cougar, they had a whole lot of catching up to do! The ugly scar on her face was nothing more than an angry red piece of flesh, bare of fur that did not seem like it was going to grow back. There was still some scabbing going on, but Fox had a feeling the last of it would fall off before the next moon rolled its way around.

Siv’s absence had not been intentional. Her loyalties were strictly with the Caldera, but her days had been filled with short bursts of anxiety and the suffocating regrets that seemed to linger. Still, she thought it was best that she handled those emotions on her own instead of forcing them on any of the others in the pack. While she was a social creature, she was always fearful of intruding when it was not appropriate. The Savoy girl was still struggling with her own issues, fighting her own battles, but she was attempting to do so while still being a valid member of the pack. Siv did not want to be a disappointment to her leaders – she could not add that to her peculiar grief.

“Siv Savoy? Where?! I hear that kid’s super cool,” she remarked with a wide grin, turning her head to and fro in mock inspection of their surroundings. Once the distance had been closed between the two females, Siv caught sight of the deep wounds that were healing over Fox’s face and she cringed openly, peering at the markings with a rapidly beating heart. “Shoot, Chief, did ya get in a fight with a lawnmower? Look at that war face, though! You’d scare the pants off of any hooligan running around our borders,” she remarked with a lack of grace but good intentions nonetheless. The comment was made out of concern above anything else, and the coywolf girl only hoped that Fox would perceive it as such.

“I’ve been around. Y’know, hovering in the background… trying to figure out this thing called life. I didn’t want to burden anyone else so I’ve been keepin’ to myself lately. I seem to have hit a good spot, though, so I’ll be around more often,” she then answered the inquiry that had followed Fox’s greeting.

Siv made a comment on her unsightly healing wound, and Fox licked it out of habit. “A cougar, actually,” she replied, “though Ashton and Elwood made quick work of chasing it off.” The two of them were awesome comrades to have. In fact, the whole of the caldera was comprised of awesome wolves. Fox couldn't think of a single one that she disliked, and that was saying something big. Siv went on to explain her absence, although Fox wasn't terribly concerned. If the girl needed a little bit of time to chill and relax, that was completely fine.

“That’s good to hear,” Fox replied in a chipper tone. “Have you thought about what might be your best contribution to the pack?” she asked. Fox couldn't remember exactly what they'd touched on when Siv had been brought into Redhawk Caldera, but it was also possible her interests had changed. Fox's own specialities were fighting and telling stories, but it was entirely possible that Siv had other things she liked to do more. The caldera was teeming with hunterly types, but that seemed to be a pretty good problem to have.

At the mention of a cougar, Siv’s muzzle crinkled and she squinted her eyes in a cringe. “That’s gnarly, Chief,” she remarked empathetically. Part of her felt a pang of guilt for not having been around to assist her Alpha in the chasing of the big cat. Still, it sounded as though the red-furred leader had been helped by two others. The Savoy’s absence in the life of the pack was something she found herself saddened by. All she could be grateful for was that Fox was alright. Should there be another cougar-attack, the coywolf would spring to her leader’s aid even if she was an ocean away. “Glad you’re alright, though,” Siv added with a sure nod of her head and a hopeful curling of her dark lips into a smile.

The subject was changed to something that Siv was all too familiar with; trades. A large part of her anxiety had stemmed from the picking of her trades, but after having discussed it with her leaders, she could speak on them with confidence. “Oh, man, well… I’ve narrowed down my three and your other half has already started helping to mentor me in one of ‘em,” she remarked with a lopsided grin. “Gamekeeper – even though we seem to be getting a ton of those guys lately. I suppose having hunters isn’t a bad thing. Naturalist, and Caretaker,” Siv bobbed her head enthusiastically at the prospects. She’d already started working towards Gamekeeper. She knew Naturalist would give her the most trouble because it was her least familiar. Caretaker would come when the pups came; until then, she would work on making sure those in the pack were doing well.

“Caretaker, huh?” Fox asked rhetorically. “Guess that means you’ll be watching the kids from time to time.” Fox was more than excited about the prospect promise of children, and having Siv watch after them was definitely something she imagined herself wanting. That is, if she had her desired litter of a dozen. Having little Firebirds running around was going to be so amazing, and each day that passed only brought Fox closer to that day. She knew that they would be a lot of work, but she was willing to bet that she wouldn't mind so much.

“Remind me again what a Naturalist does,” she said, having failed to meet anybody (that she knew of) who dabbled in that sort of thing. Didn't it have to do with the moon or something? The more scholarly skills had never been terribly interesting to Fox, who had always liked to beat others up rather than talk things through or try and heal them. She did, however, love talking about herself and her history, which was the only reason anybody considered her a storyteller of sorts.

Fox pricked an ear forward when Siv began to talk, and she listened as the girl explained what exactly she would do as a naturalist. For once, Fox was content to listen, and when the two were done talking, they ran off to do something cool like hunt some rabbits.