Redhawk Caldera shark out of water

any packmates welcome :)

After following Peregrine into Redhawk's territory, Jaws had left his side to find a place to sleep for the remainder of the night. He found a comfortable, sheltered spot beneath a great fallen tree, halfway up the mountain's southern slope. As expected, the gray jay had appeared as soon as Peregrine was gone, settling into a crook at the base of a thick branch reaching out from the same log.

Jaws slept comfortably, but awoke the next morning almost in panic. He burst from beneath the tree and but halted abruptly outside it. Closing his eyes, the coywolf breathed deeply, feeling the crisp air and allowing it to cool the anxiousness that had overtaken him. The gravity of last night had struck him hard - he had joined a pack, and though it was what he intended when he came to the park, for the first time in a long time Jaws felt very unsure of himself. He was used to living alone, completely confident in that lifestyle. Now, as a pack wolf, he was expected to care not only for himself but for the pack as a whole.

The gray jay landed on the snow in front of him, peering up with concern. Jaws smiled faintly, and decided his best course of action was to make good on his promise to act as a gamekeeper and warden. With a task at hand, his mind settled, and the tension that had seized his muscles let go. He headed down the slope, planning to work his way from the edge of the pack's boundaries inward.

It seemed that there were more newcomers than Fin was aware of at the Caldera. Fin was perched upon one of the Caldera's many little outcroppings, debating on what to do with her day. Of course her immediate thought was Elwood. She loved doing Elwood. She could spend her entire life doing Elwood. Ah... Elwood... We totally zoned out, where were we? Ah yes, the dark shadow upon the slopes.

Since there was little else for her to be doing at that moment, Finley decided to hop down and intercept him. After leaving her perch, she rather lost track of him for a little while. Luckily, she was quite the gifted outrider and gamekeeper, and at that moment, she was determined to outride one particular piece of game. When eventually her eyes landed upon him again, she grinned fiendishly and broke into a sprint right towards him, stopping only after she'd spun to face him, directly in the middle of his path.

"HALT, COMMONER!" she bellowed, head and tail lifted dominantly as she gave him her most intense beta-stare. Fin hadn't decided exactly what her game was here yet, but that was no reason not to start playing.

Jaws' eyes were busy taking a detailed inventory of the terrain as he moved down the slope. With his sharp mind it would not take him long to become familiar with the major territory features, enough to navigate with ease as though he had lived here his whole life. It would take him longer to memorize the details - hot spots for prey, secure cache locations, the prevailing wind currents and most strategic vantage points. Although he had been nomadic, Jaws was habituated to cataloging these things for his own survival, it was practically a reflex.

So keenly aware this morning, Jaws was quick to swivel his ears to the sound of someone approaching - fast. His head soon followed, turning just in time to see a monochrome blur sail past him and block his path. For a moment, Jaws stiffened defensively, almost ready to lift his lip in a snarl as the female commanded him loudly to stop; but he remembered where he was and relaxed, inferring by scent that this was a packmate, and her dominant posing suggested she was one of the higher ranking ones, perhaps the beta's mate, Finley.

Jaws held back a snappy retort, instead bowing his head. His first day in the pack was not the time to be rubbing someone's fur the wrong way no matter how loud they were. "Alright, I'm halted," he said, lifting his front paws and re-planting them firmly to demonstrate it, waiting to see what her angle was.

The stranger reacted almost the way she wanted him to. He stopped at least, but he didn't exactly seem nervous that a higher ranking wolf was shouting at him. Fin gave him a quizzical look, wondering if it was possible that he already saw through her ruse. She'd barely even begun it though! That was just not fair.

"Bow to me," she insisted with a slash of her tail. She smirked in spite of herself, wondering if he'd actually do as she commanded. He didn't seem like the type that would. But she was the beta after all, and he was new. It would actually be expected of him to listen, even though if he did, she was fully prepared to laugh in his face.

Jaws hesitated when she commanded him to bow. She seemed serious, yet mischeivious at the same time. He suspected this was a game, but as an erstwhile lone wolf he found little humor in it. He was unaccustomed to formal displays of any kind and especially unfamiliar with being ordered - whether in jest or not. For a moment, his devilish mind contemplated spinning around before bowing, giving her a full view of his rugged arse. She did not after all specify that he had to bow while facing her. But, Jaws did not know this wolf, and understood that pack life would require many adjustments on his part. So without a word, he bowed deeply, folding one long leg back and extending his other toward her, his ears laying upon his skull.

[size=xx-small]Hope you don't mind me butting in! I want her to get to know some of her pack mates.[/size]

Silverfeather arrived in time to see the black male bowing low to Finley, as she recalled from her entrance into the pack. She had yet to know the pack's beta, as she had not learned much about her from their first meeting.

Her eyes glinted worriedly, surely this pack couldn't be one of those that commanded utter obedience and reverence to those of the upper tier? She hoped not. She approached the two cautiously and soundlessly, noticing the black ones strangely protruding teeth. Hie shape pointed toward coyote heritage, his pelt pure black and rugged. "Hello, Finley." she offered the beta a nervous smile, then looked at the other. "Hello, person"

Not at all!

Surprisingly enough, the dark, rather intimidating-looking male actually lowered himself in a deep, humble bow. Fin raised her brows in surprise, but still giggled deviously at the gesture. She began to wonder what she could make him do next... Oh, the possibilities! Go dive in the lake? Find a squirrel and make it his queen? Go into the woods and find her a blue pinecone before the day's end, knowing there were no blue pinecones and he'd probably lose his mind in the attempt???

That was about when another new recruit happened upon the scene. Fin turned as she approached with two greetings upon her tongue - one for her and one for the dark wolf at her feet. She gave the girl a wry grin. "Hey there," Fin greeted in return, "I'm hazing this newbie, you want me to make him do anything?" Silverfeather too was a newbie, but Fin had accepted her personally, which automatically scored her points whereas Jaws was still earning his.

the more the merrier! :)

The coywolf rose from his bow, greeting the newcomer with a slight tip of his muzzle. Unfortunately for him, the arrival of the white female did nothing to interrupt Finley's game and he would not be spared from having to perform more foolish requests. No, instead, the Beta saw fit to now include the other female, allowing her the chance to suggest the next move. The coywolf could only imagine what silliness the pair might have in store.

Jaws had a roguish spirit but he greatly preferred to be playful on his own terms, not have the humor of the moment be at his expense. With a sigh, he seated himself, shifting his mouth to the side, biting back a comment about threesomes (naturally). He awaited his fate.

PPing Silverfeather out since it's been almost two weeks :3 Feel free to hop back in if you wanna!

Silverfeather apparently had no hazing to get out of her system, but was appreciative enough of her beta's hijinx to laugh and pardon herself (maybe just for a pee I DUNNO). Once she was gone, Fin turned back to her puppet, wondering what to do with him now.

"Walk with me," she commanded, turning to begin walking slowly and haughtily along. She had no idea whatsoever where she was taking him, nor did she really even know what her end game here was. She had to do something though, sooooo... "Tell me of yourself," Fin said next, actually curious to know more about him. Who knew? Maybe he'd admit to something she could use against him next! ..though truthfully, her interest in this particular game was already waning.

Fortunately for Jaws, it seemed the other female was not too keen on joining in on Finley's fun and she excused herself from the two of them. Perhaps even Finley was not too keen on the game anymore, as her next command was for him to simply walk with her. Jaws obliged, not bothering to busy his mind wondering where she was taking him or why. It hardly mattered. When the Beta asked him a question Jaws could not resist taking the opportunity to reply with his characteristic jest. "I'm tall, dark, and handsome," he said, a vain smile on his face. He knew it was not the answer she wanted and could only guess how she might react... but oh well. He just had to.

Obediently, the dark male fell in line beside her and matched her moseying pace. His response actually came as a surprise to the beta, though not an unpleasant one. She cast him a sidelong glance and smirked in response. "Humble too, eh?" Fin said with a little snicker. It was nice to see that he had some personality in that tall, dark and handsome physique.

"Does you beauty and charm come with a name?" Fin asked next, her tail swaying gently as they wandered.

Finley received his jest well and his tail swayed with satisfaction. He would settle down easier knowing his other packmates - not just Peregrine - could accept his humor. "Yep," Jaws winked to her after she commented on his humility. She asked of his name next and he obliged, rather than giving his Beta one of his common runarounds. "Jaws. You must be Finley?" he quirked a brow as he glanced at her. So far he had been acting under the assumption she was, now he sought confirmation.

It took every ounce of restraint Fin had not to burst out laughing when Jaws introduced himself. Her eyes brushed past the long canines that protruded from his upper lip, obviously the inspiration behind the moniker. She wondered if his parents had named him that, which would seem to suggest that they'd been like that his entire life. What a goofy-looking kid he must have been.. After all, in Fin's rather superficial and judgmental opinion, he was kind of a goofy-looking adult.

She kept that all to herself, though. She was the beta, as he'd said. Betas probably weren't supposed to make fun of their packmates for what big teeth they had. "Nice guess!" Fin replied, taking a different, more appropriate track, "What gave it away, my stunning good looks or my bad ass beta-ing skills?" She didn't know who it was that had accepted him, but there was a good chance that any one of the leadership team would have described her as either. Well. Except Peregrine. He probably would've called her a doofy assbag. That assbag.

Jaws' assumption was correct - this was the beta female, Finley. She did not have the regal way about her that one might expect of leaders but her drollery, expressed in the same vain fashion as Jaws had previously, was better received by the coywolf than a show of rank and status. He grinned as he answered her question. "A little bit of both," he replied, withholding a more flirtatious comment about a 'stunning ass', to combine her two suggestions. Peregrine had specified her as one that was on the 'off-limits' list and although he was not fond of biting his tongue, he would have to get used to it. "Actually, Peregrine gave me a list of names to go by, divided into those I could flirt with and those I should leave alone," Jaws chuckled, watching her carefully to see her response to what he just shared.

Fin smirked at his response. Truth be told, she would have loved for him to give whatever real responses he had in his head. It would have crossed a line, not only in his role as being a passive newbie, but also because Finley was (for all intents and purposes) off the market. While she personally still loved male attention considering how very pretty it made her feel, it would be rather hypocritical of her to partake. Especially considering she would have flayed Elwood alive if he dared to flirt with anyone besides her.

But since when was Fin self-aware enough to notice her hypocrisy?

The beta gave him an appraising look before responding. "What category did he put me in?" she asked with a quirk of her brow. Truth be told, she knew if this conversation actually had happened, Peregrine would've done the true bro-thing and told any and all men to stay the hell away from Elwood's girl. But since she was fairly certain Jaws was just kidding, she was quite curious to hear where he'd group her as it would reveal whether or not he thought she was pretty. And she LOVED being considered pretty.

Jaws returned Finley's quirked brow with one of his own, uncertain why Finley herself would question which category she belonged to. He had been honest in his statement, but suspected that she mistook his words for having been honeyed. Which was a fair assumption, even in their short time together he had displayed his penchant for jest.

"What category do you belong to?" he questioned with a tilt of his head, the bluntness of the question softened with a genuinely curious look. Jaws would have made his own suggestion but again, he was not keen to take his chances stepping near or over the metaphorical line.

Jaws turned the question back at her, asking which one she belonged to. She could have answered easily, and would have were it not for the fact that he hadn't yet divulged which category he wanted her in. What fun would it be to announce that she was happily super taken and thus his hopes and dreams were destroyed if he didn't first admit that he liked her?

"Hey, I asked first," Fin reprimanded him sharply, with a twitch of her lips that told she was jesting, "Also, I'm the beta here, so you answer my question. What did that bitchface say about me?"

Jaws was a bit stunned at Finley's reference to Peregrine as a 'bitchface', and he blankly stared at her for a few moments. She either openly disdained him or the two had a close enough relationship to warrant affectionate name calling - and Jaws was banking on the latter. An impish grin stole away the blank expression from before. "Unfortunately for you..." he drawled, "Peregrine put you on the 'taken' list, which means you don't get to play with me." Jaws winked, his tongue slightly peeking out between his teeth. He completely turned Finley's game on her without even knowing it.

Fin would have LOLED THE SHIT out the situation had Jaws shared his mild surprise at her reference to Peregrine. In truth, she had called their alpha far worse. While she'd never had any romantic feelings towards him (and honestly, the thought of such made her go GAGGIES), from the moment they'd met, he'd always just been... He belonged in her life. It was like when you saw a random person across the room and thought to yourself "...huh...". He just belonged in her life, whether it was as a pseudo brother/best friend/mentor. Peregrine just belonged as a part of Fin's life.

"Awh, that is so like Peregrine," Fin replied with a haughty scoff, "He really doesn't approve of his leadership team having any fun." It was a non-committal statement. She didn't directory say that she was off limits, but nor did she say that she was free as a bird,

LOLED THE SHIT! Your posts always make me giggle. I don't think I've encountered a more entertaining writer in rps than yourself. <3

Despite how perceptive he could be, Jaws found Finley to be difficult to read from one moment to the next. Her statement about Peregrine not desiring his fellow leaders have any fun sounded neither like a joke nor a hard fact, to which he furrowed his brows slightly as he tried to figure his Beta out. "Hm. He seemed like quite the charmer to me," Jaws commented, remembering the night Peregrine confronted him and subsequently convinced him to join Redhawk Caldera even though the coywolf, at the time, was not certain about joining a pack at all. It was Peregrine's humor and down-to-earth way that had relaxed Jaws and ultimately enticed him to join; never before had the coywolf related to another so quickly or easily.

"Maybe it's just you," he teased. "You seem like the type that would get into trouble a lot," he twitched his ears with a rascally smirk.

Haha thank you! I love writing for her soooo much, she's so much fun

Finley rolled her eyes at his comment about Peregrine. He must've wanted Jaws in the pack pretty badly if he was acting in a way that gave off that impression. When Fin had met him, he'd been fending off a flea infestation on his own skin. They'd played in mud puddles together after that... Hm, maybe he was somewhat charming if he successfully lured Fin into taking a mudbath with him. Well that's just plain annoying.

Fin's jaw dropped in feigned offense at the next bunch of words that came from his large-toothed mouth. "How dare you!" she barked at him, "I am a damn saint, good sir. A saint!" A lie, as we all know, including Fin. She was rather surprised that even he knew of her reputation. How did everyone always figure that out about her so quickly? All she did was run up to him shouting and demanding that he grovel at her paws, what was so wrong with that?

I say we finish up and have another thread sometime!

Jaws bared a crooked grin as Finley put up a display of mock offense. "Well, Saint Finley," he addressed her with good-natured sarcasm. "Are you actually going to take me somewhere or can I be excused?" The achromatic Beta seemed to have forgotten her game, the two had been padding along rather aimlessly. Jaws was ready to get back to his solo business of his exploring his new home in a combined patrol and hunt effort.

Sounds good! Last post for mêlée



Jaws's comment caused Fin to slow to a near stop. She blinked stupidly at him before looking around to either side. Where had she been taking him? Did she have a plan? She pursed her lips momentarily in thought. She was pretty sure she'd had a goal when they'd started, but whatever it was was gone now. The beta turned back to the n00b with a little shrug.

"Yeah, you can go," she told him with a feisty smile, "Just be sure to respond right stat pronto when I call on you again for some more hazing. I just have to come up with more stuff to do to you. Which I'm totally gonna." And just like that, Fin made certain that Jaws would likely never come to her when beckoned again. Whoops.

Jaws shook his head when she gave him her newest orders. "Yeah, sure thing." he said, then gave her a short bow before making his departure before he made some lewd comment about things she could do to him - and before she could change her mind and come up with some other scheme to bother him with. The encounter had not been all too insufferable but the coywolf was not a social bug and was grateful to have his time to himself once more.