Redhawk Caldera riddles

If she could, Pantaleimon would have decided to wear a paper bag over her head to become unrecogniseable by the rest of the pack, and Peregrine in particular. Unfortunately, running away wasn't really the answer. Pan just hadn't figured out what the answer was. Perhaps if she avoided Peregrine enough, he would forget eventually, and they would be able to hang out again, and maybe even laugh about it some day. For now, though, Pantaleimon had not yet forgotten the embarrassing moment between them mere days ago; Gods, how could she?!

As per her Queen's requirements, Pantaleimon trailed along the borders, keeping them safe and trying to figure out what all of the best routes along the borders were, so that she would be able to defend them at her best. The place smelled like Fox, which was a good thing; it was already well-protected.

With a churning feeling at the pit of her stomach about the incident with Peregrine, Pan trotted along the borders that warm, sunny day, hoping not to run into anyone else.

Some other stuff might happen before this thread, but I wanted to toss Fox in here anyway!

Thankfully, the torrent of visitors had all but disappeared from their borders. Redhawk Caldera was slowly returning to normalcy... at least in some aspects. Finley was still pregnant, probably annoyed that she couldn't go fighting bears. The children were growing stronger and tougher every day. Tiger's passing had been a great loss, but Fox had barely known the girl, so she couldn't say too much on the matter. Pan and Sebastian were their only two remaining subordinates, but it didn't concern Fox too much. She wanted to be picky about who was allowed in and who was an outsider. Time had proven things were better that way.

Fox was patrolling, as she often did, when she found herself heading straight for Pan. Pan was... well, he seemed a bit shy, though certainly not unsociable. Fox's face lit up, eager to have somebody to walk alongside (even if she'd just come from the other direction, she'd happily turn right around if it meant company). "Hey, Pan!" she greeted, giving him a nip on the shoulder. "How's it been?"

thanks for joining :D

Pantaleimon was lost in thoughts and did not instantly notice Fox, so absorbed into her own mind was she. Only when Fox called out to her Pantaleimon lifted her head, a startled and alert expression on her face. Pan relaxed slightly when she realised it was only Fox, although the incident with Perry was still on the forefront of her mind. Pantaleimon was pretty sure that Fox would rip her to shreds if she ever found out, or -- and Pan wasn't sure if it was better or worse -- that Perry had already told her and they'd all had a hearty laugh about her giant mishap.

When Fox nipped her shoulder, Pantaleimon flinched. Fox seemed amicable, so Pan did not want to appear too off, as it seemed as though Fox knew nothing yet. "Oh! Uh! Y'know, g-good!" Pantaleimon said, and her voice sounded like she was lying; she heard it when she spoke, but somehow couldn't do anything about it. "J-just uhm, just checking out the borders, l-like, for w-warden stuff, and stuff." Pantaleimon tried not to fidget, but she was freaking out so much. It was almost like it would've been easier to just write a giant 'I'm sexually attracted to your mate' on her forehead.

Fox and Peregrine had talked about Pan, though Perry had explained that the two of them hadn't actually... done anything. Or even talked about it, really. It seemed Pan was incredibly embarrassed by the whole incident, so Fox did the only thing she could think of: she pretended not to know at all. That was a difficult task, of course, since she was immensely curious about the two of them. Pan seemed like such a good match for her mate (weird, right?), and he was a part of Redhawk Caldera. That last part really sealed the deal. Fox didn't want to deal with outsiders, so she'd been particularly pleased when Perry had given up on Luke.

"That’s great!" Fox replied, happy to hear that Pan was still working hard on securing their borders. "You mind if I walk with you?" she asked, though she did not expect to be denied, so Fox stepped in, side-by-side, with Pan. Fox waited a few strides, then asked another question. "Made any friends here yet? I mean, besides me," Fox said with a grin. She did consider Pan a friend. Fox had seen him interact with the children from afar, and he was a natural at it no matter how much he wished to deny it.

Pantaleimon was glad that Fox was pleased she was patrolling the borders, although she felt a little uneasy and like she was lying majorly by not telling Fox about what had happened with Perry. Now, Pan didn't know that much about traditional mateships, and she'd heard about Peregrine's relationships with other males, but this was, well... Different. For reasons she could not explain even to Perry.

When Fox asked if she could join the patrol, Pan nodded hastily. "Yes, of course!" Who was she to deny the Queen of the pack to walk beside her on patrol? Pantaleimon kept her head low and tail hung loosely around her hind legs when Fox joined beside her. When Fox not only asked if Pan had made any friends, but also suggested she was one of them, Pantaleimon felt a little embarrassed -- in a good way -- since she hadn't felt like as integral a part of the pack as others, apparently, saw her.

"Oh, uhm... W-well, I hunted with Elwood, uhm... And fished with Finley." It was a while ago, the fishing, but she figured it was still good enough to mention. And Tiger... Pantaleimon decided not to mention Tiger, who she didn't know all that well, but had socialised bits and pieces with. "And Perry -- uhm, Pere - Peregrine --" Pantaleimon looked away when she nearly choked on Perry's name, "is, we, uhm, friends and stuff." Pan kept looking away, pretending to keep an eye on the perimeter and check out the borders to see if no one crossed, but in reality she was embarrassed beyond words that she couldn't even get a proper sentence out her throat in regards to Peregrine.

Fox knew about Peregrine, of course, but it was good to know that Pan got along with the other two leaders, too. Elwood and Finley were some of the most loyal wolves to Redhawk Caldera, and while there had been a time Fox feared that they would leave, that time had passed. With little ones on the way, she could not imagine either of them branching out to plant their roots elsewhere. Keeping true to her internal promise, Fox made no hint that there was anything odd about being friends with Peregrine. And why should there be?

"That’s good to hear," Fox replied, ignoring Pan's nervousness and deciding it would be best to change the subject. She struggled to come up with a subject that might concern them both, but then she remembered hearing that Pan was from that sea wolf pack. "So what happened with Ankyra Sound?" she asked. If she had asked it previously, or somebody else had filled her in already, it had fallen from Fox's own memory.

Pantaleimon was glad that Fox made no mention or notice - seemingly, anyway - of Pan's nervousness. She supposed it had to be because Fox was used to her being nervous, so there was little difference in her behaviour. Besides, Perry was Alpha, so Pan supposed it was logical she'd be nervous talking about him. Well, whatever the case, she was grateful that her Alpha did not mind.

Fox changed the subject then, asking about Ankyra Sound. Pantaleimon didn't like to be reminded of her roots, because she often missed the ocean now that she lived here, but she answered her Queen's question readily: "There was this pup, uhm, I think his name was Kev... Kevin, or Kevlyn, or Kevli... Uhm, something like that, a-and he - he died..." Pan looked uneasy and she frowned; she'd never known Kevlyn personally, but she remembered the impact it had on the pack and its Queen when he died. And a dead child is still a dead child. "Our Queen, she... she l-loved him a lot, I - I think he was her son, and she just... i-it was like she gave up. And one day they all sort of left." Pan remembered sitting upon Ankyra Sound's shores with Reek while she hoped that they would return, but knew deep in her heart that they would not.

Fox nodded grimly, her pace slowing a bit at the mention of a dead child. One of her own had died only a week into his own life, and that had been a sorrowful event. The thought of losing Nightjar, Raven, or Wildfire was not one she wished to dwell upon. Fox's children were perfect to her in every way, and if any of them were to die, she would be crushed. But she would not abandon her wolves, like Ankyra Sound's queen had, especially because she had two other children to look after. Perhaps the queen had lacked other children to keep her grounded, but Fox did not inquire further.

"Seems like nothing is permanent in this world," she mused, shrugging her shoulders. Peregrine was her rock, of course, and had been around since she had come to the Teekon Wilds. While their relationship had gone slow, he'd always been there in some capacity, even if it was a frenemy capacity. "Except the caldera, of course! We’ll be around forever." Fox followed this up with a goofy grin, though it would be hard to tell if she was being sarcastic or she was really that optimistic about their future.

Pantaleimon nodded grimly when Fox reminded her that nothing was permanent in the world. She thought of Junior for a moment, when her mind eventually drifted away from Kevlyn and Caiaphas, and wondered how young the child had been. Had she been a grown-up child of Peregrine's, or just a year or less younger than their current litter? What had driven her into such desperation and jealousy as to attack Wildfire? Pan didn't have a face to the name, and it was probably for the best, so that she did not need to dwell too long on the subject or feel too awful for Junior's death.

Fox said the Caldera'd be around forever, and Pan couldn't quite grasp if she was joking or if she really did think it would be. Nothing stayed around forever, Pantaleimon reminded herself. But instead of saying that she replied: "I hope so." Pan then smiled awkwardly at Fox; she hadn't got much better at small talk since their last meet-up. "How are the pups?" she ended up asking. Meanwhile, Pantaleimon kept an eye on the perimeter, for anything strange. "Quiet at the borders," she murmured quietly, more to herself than her companion.

Fox was all about hoping, too. Redhawk Caldera was their home, and she had no intentions of leaving. Neither did Peregrine, for that matter. That was at least one thing she could count on. Somehow, someway, Peregrine had managed to put up with her bullshit for this long. If he'd done that, surely he could continue to do so. Of course, he'd had his own few slip ups (and major mistakes), but who didn't? Fox had basically torn apart Swiftcurrent Creek in her time there, and she'd divided Blacktail Deer Plateau only a few months later. At least Redhawk Caldera hadn't been destroyed (yet).

"Oh, they’re great!" Fox replied to Pan's question. "All three are training to be either warriors or wardens." Nightjar and Wildfire had shown the most gusto, but Raven certainly wasn't slacking. "Hard to believe how fast they’re growing up." In a few months time, they would be close to their adult height, and the majority of their growing from that point on would be out, rather than up. "You think you’ll ever want kids?" Fox asked, oblivious to the fact that Pan might already have children out there in the world. She knew nothing of the ways of The Nereides mating rituals.

After how busy the borders had been, perhaps it was good that they didn't find much out here so far. Pan was glad to hear that the pups were all busy going for their warrior and warden trades. Pantaleimon tried and made sure to patrol the borders frequently, but perhaps she should seek out someone who was more experienced in the Warden trade, she figured, and ask them about things. Fox and Perry were probably good starts; they were Alphas, after all, so they knew a thing or two about keeping borders safe.

Before Pan could ask about Warden things, Fox asked her if she wanted pups of her own. Pantaleimon smiled fondly at the mention of pups. "Oh, yes! I'd love to give birth to pups some day!" she said without thinking, a broader smile on her face than she'd shown Fox so far. Then she realised what she had said and Pan quickly corrected herself: "I m-mean, for s-someone else to... uhm... y'know... do the birthing." She could not help but look and sound wry when she said this, because it was a reminder that she would never, ever truly be a female.

Fox quirked a brow at Pan's first statement, knowing such a thing wasn't possible. In fact, it was downright absurd! Pan quickly corrected himself, though, and Fox let out a breathy laugh. "You say that now..." Fox replied, remembering with grim clarity how much it had utterly sucked the life right out of her. "I mean, Peregrine just had to hunt for the last couple of weeks. The rest of the time, I was carrying around four giant bags of flesh, bones, and who knows what else." It was not easy in the least. Unfortunately, Fox would have made a terrible father. She didn't have the patience to put up with the amount of whining that she'd done (nor was she a great hunter).

"In all fairness, though, I don't think we'll allow another couple outside of the leaders to have kids. Hell, even one litter is a lot to deal with, and I don't think we could keep up with the demand of three." Even keeping up with two was going to be a major challenge. At least the Alphas' children were getting a little bit more independence. That was a huge relief to Fox, who had certainly felt stifled during their first several weeks.

Pantaleimon grinned awkwardly when Fox talked about how awful her pregnancy had been. Pan knew that she'd never be the one to carry pups if ever she had a relationship with another wolf. She sighed wistfully while Fox explained, although not that noticeably. Pan wondered if she could ever be with another female. She'd never given it much thought, but then, there was that one time at Sirensong Cove, when she had been picked for the mating rituals and she just hadn't been able to. Beside the fact that she just didn't like to be on that side of things, she wasn't sure she ever would be able to if she needed to. It just seemed so weird and unnatural somehow.

Fox went on to explain they probably wouldn't allow another couple to have pups. Pan was quick to say, "Oh, I don't think I'd... this year, uhm... I mean, I don't even have a m-mate." Pantaleimon grinned sheepishly; she didn't have a mate, and she didn't think she'd get one any time soon. Pan wanted pups some day... but now was not that day yet, and she was very aware of it.

Fade? We need a newer one! :D

Fox gave Pan a silly little smile. She hadn't expected Pan to demand to have children right here and now. Although, if anybody was deserving... "Y’know, Pan, I’m really glad to have you around. It’s hard to find decent wolves these days, but you’re definitely one of them." Sure, the compliment might have seemingly come out of nowhere, but Fox meant it. Pantaleimon had done nothing but contribute and make Peregrine happy, which was more than Fox could say for some of the other wolves she'd had pass through her ranks in the past.

She bumped her head into Pan's shoulder, then took off at a quicker pace, hoping to engage Pan in a game of light chase. Fox planned to continue this pestering until the big white wolf finally relented. And there, they could play tag along the border while also keeping an eye out for trespassers.

i'll fade! :)

Pantaleimon felt her face warm up when Fox said that she was a great wolf to have around. She didn't really feel that way, considering the thing she wanted most in the world was to be at Peregrine's side in the same way that Fox was. Instead of admitting that, though, Pan said, "Thanks." She continued to walk along the borders with Fox until Fox bumped her head into Pan's shoulder and ran off.

It took a bit for Pan to get the game; she had never been very good at games, since she was the only male pup in her year and while she'd played a lot with her sisters when they were younger, at some point their differences had been made painfully clear and Pan had pretty much stopped doing much playing at that point in time. Pantaleimon was not in the mood for playing much and still felt guilty towards Fox, but she decided that she needed to join in the play to not seem suspicious. Pan took a deep breath and galopped after Fox. Pan was large and broad and not very quick, so her galops looked almost as though they were in slow motion.

While keeping a sidelong eye on the borders all the while, Pantaleimon followed Fox in the game, hoping she'd be any good at it.