Redhawk Caldera Sledgehammer

Did someone say "plot twists"? ;)

This happens simultaneously with this thread.

Peregrine was pissed. Fox had blatantly gone against his wishes without even consulting with him. He felt horribly disrespected. He understood that his mate was pregnant, yet did that give her an excuse to completely undermine him? It hurt his feelings as much as his pride. Afraid that he might shout at her, he stalked away from the scene, jaw clenched tightly.

He made a point of walking out of sight around the mountain's base, fuming in his head all the while. This was perhaps the second time Fox had made him feel this way and he didn't know what to do with his emotions right now. After everything he had done to treat her like a queen, she had treated him like his opinion didn't even matter. Why on earth had she undercut him this way, without so much as a discussion? He had done the same, yet he had only had the pack's best interests in mind. What was Fox's excuse?

He stomped in the direction of Lake Rodney, the caldera falling into the distance behind him. I hope Magpie's worth it to you, he thought angrily toward his wife. The instant he thought of the pups dwelling in her body, he stopped and heaved a gusty sigh. Then he remembered that her mindless acceptance of Magpie might jeopardize their litter and he became upset all over again and continued storming toward the lake.

I know I already have a thread with you.. (two if you count Relonikiv/Julius) But this looks like this could possibly turn into a Counselor thread for Somnia if things play out a certain way.

There was something Somnia had to do. She had to tell Peregrine Osprey said hi. Even though that had happened about two weeks ago, she still felt the need to do it. What kind of subordinate (and friend) would she be if she continued to delay doing it? Things had been unlucky for her with this. First, she had already scented Osprey's scent at the border, and it seemed as if Osprey had already came to tell Peregrine she said hi. Then, whenever Somnia saw Peregrine, it wasn't an ideal situation to tell him of the news. Her Caretaker game and Amon's funeral just hadn't seemed the right place to tell him that his sister who lived in another pack said hi. But now she had caught Peregrine's scent, and she was ready to tell him, no matter how belated it was.

At least she had thought that. But when Somnia came upon Peregrine, he didn't look to be in a good mood. Maybe it was the way he was stalking about, or maybe anger somehow altered his scent. If they could smell fear, why not anger? Whatever the reason, Perry still seemed like he was in a bad mood. Osprey could late until later, perhaps later would be the end of the conversation if it went well. But first, did Peregrine even want a conversation? One way to find out.

"Peregrine? You alright?" Somnia was still a good distance away from him. If he wasn't in the mood for conversation, she could just leave. Somnia hoped he wouldn't shoo her away. Even without the topic of Osprey, she wanted to make sure he was alright.

It's perfectly fine! There's no such thing as too many threads with a particular person (in my opinion, anyhow). :)

Peregrine was the type who liked his space and who did not unload his problems on just anyone. Had it been anyone other than Somnia or another trusted pack mate, he would have chased away the person who dared approach him in this temper. When he saw his Gamma tentatively making her way toward him, he turned to face her. While his posture wasn't exactly welcoming, he made no move to discourage her approach.

In response to her query, it just sort of burst out of him. "I'm pissed off at my wife," he snapped. He felt sort of strange even as the words left his mouth. Did he want anyone knowing that he and Fox didn't always see eye to eye? Was he going to come across like some giant dick right now? "I don't know if you remember Magpie but we took her in when the caldera was brand new. She left without a word. Now she's back and even though we have no room for an eligible wolf, much less a flaky freeloader, Fox welcomed her back with open arms—even after I expressly made it clear Magpie wasn't welcome here."

Somnia walked closer to him, stopping a few feet away. During the time it had taken her to close the distance, she was thinking of a reply. She didn't want to take sides unless one side was really irrational, as Fox and Peregrine were both her friends. But she also wanted to help in anyway possible, and that would require not igniting Peregrine's currently flammable temper anymore than it already was.

Somnia gave a shake of her head when he mentioned Magpie, as she had never met her. It was unknown to her that Magpie had actually left about a week after she had joined. "So you don't want her to come back because not only do we not have enough room, but she ditched you the first time? That seems reasonable. Do you know why Fox eagerly accepted her back in?" Getting Peregrine to continue to talk could help him because everyone felt a little better after ranting. Plus, it would help Somnia get a better idea on how to handle this.

"I saved her fucking life," Peregrine explained, "and then she just vanished. I don't give a shit that she didn't want to stay here. It boils my balls that she took advantage of my generosity, then left without a word, including one of thanks for saving her fucking life," he repeated in a loud voice.

Realizing he was essentially shouting at his Gamma, he made a conscientious effort to lower his voice. "Fox owed Magpie a debt, which we paid off by welcoming her into our home as a scraggly whelp. And the debt wasn't even mine, nor the caldera's. It was Fox's. So why is she putting it above me now? Above all of us? Above our pups?"

Somnia couldn't hold it against Peregrine for shouting. While she didn't exactly appreciate being shouted at, shouting could help some wolves let out their anger. Luckily, Peregrine realized he was shouting at her and spoke quieter. Somnia just sat there quietly, waiting until he was done to speak.

"That was rude of her. Even if she had an important reason for leaving, she should've at least said something! But about why Fox is doing that, I can't answer that. It does seem highly irrational to us since you said you wouldn't welcome Magpie back. Do you know of any other reasons why Fox might welcome her back? Does she even know that you're pissed off at her?"

"'Rude' is an understatement," Peregrine muttered under his breath. He fell silent, listening to Somnia's voice of reason. She was already a fantastic Caretaker in the making but was she an aspiring Counselor too? If she wasn't, she should be.

"I don't think I left anything to the imagination. She would have to be really daft not to realize that blatantly shitting on my word would bother me," he pointed out in a heated but level voice. "Like, seriously, what the fuck is she thinking?"

The Alpha male fell quiet, taking in a few deep, steadying breaths. He gazed out over the nearby lake, then eventually looked back at Somnia and said, "I seriously have never felt so goddamn disrespected in my life. Fox is welcome to question my demands, of course, but she's not allowed to just completely overrule me. If she wants to run the show that way, then maybe I should just fucking leave her to it. Obviously she doesn't think I'm an equal to her."

What made matters worse was that it was reminiscent of the way Hawkeye had once treated him. She had also made Peregrine feel like he was some sort of secondary Alpha, when all he hoped to do was empower his mate and share the power with her. It tapped deep down into his past and cracked something inside him, letting a metaphorical black bile leak into his bloodstream.

"I think I need to get out of here for a few days. I don't even want to look at her right now," he admitted, his face and voice suddenly strained. How had things gone to shit so abruptly? He had been a happily mated Alpha male an hour ago; now he felt like neither applied. "I don't want to walk out on her or any of you guys. I just need some space, you know? Plus," he finished darkly, "if I see Magpie's face anytime soon, I don't know what I'll do."

Somnia listened to the rest of Peregrine's words. His reason to be angry made sense to her. "Some time away could be a good thing. It'll give you time to rationally think it through before making any brash decisions. I say go for it. Take some time to think things out and dwell upon the situation and possible solution." She tried to encourage him.

"You also have Finley and Elwood around if any trouble occurs, not to mention Fox. No matter how angry you are with her at the moment, she's still capable of keeping us in check for a few days. I could even tell her that you'll be gone for a few days if you wish."

He half expected Somnia to disagree and try to convince him to stick around. When she concurred that some time away would be good for him, Peregrine felt weirdly deflated. He didn't want to leave his home. Why should he? He hadn't done anything wrong. Yet he would. He nodded his head dumbly.

"Yeah, if you could," he replied to her offer to relay a message to Fox. "Tell her I'm not happy with how she handled the situation and that I need some time and space." Peregrine sighed deeply. "Thanks for listening, Som. Have you ever thought of becoming a Counselor?

On that note, since Fox and I are making decisions without consulting with each other, I choose you to be our primary Caretaker. You're the favorite, hands down," were the Alpha's words of parting. He flashed Somnia a very brief smile, then slunk away, in the opposite direction from the caldera.

"Will do." Were Somnia's last words. She actually was pursuing the Counselor trade, but she let the question fade into the silence unanswered. Somnia also let his last statement not effect her. Even with the chances of her becoming the primary Caretaker great, there was still a chance that Fox would veto it, especially if Somnia spread around that Peregrine decided to do it so he could make a decision without Fox's input.

Somnia turned around, heading in the opposite direction of Peregrine. Her top priority was to know find Fox.