Redhawk Caldera the cat's catch

@Peregrine

Jaws had stayed away from the Alphas' den when the commotion began, he was uncomfortable with the situation and also assumed his presence was neither wanted nor needed as others were nearby to lend assistance. Jaws would hardly be of much help, anyway. He had never been around a birthing mother, or puppies, and had limited knowledge about tending to illness or physical injury. But what he could do was what had been asked of him, what he had been doing all along: keep the borders defended and the pack fed.

So that is what the coywolf did, combining his trades, gathering up a mouthful of prey as he patrolled the packlands. By the time he made his way back to the Alphas' den he held in his teeth two squirrels and three mice - not typical wolf fare, but a staple in Jaws' diet. Without a word, and paw steps as quiet as could be, he dropped his offering near the den's entrance and then slowly padded away.

A wild-eyed Peregrine stepped out of the den just in time to catch Jaws striding toward the Alpha pair's abode. He hadn't slept a wink since the birth, not because the pups were keeping him awake (they were rather dozy most of the time, actually) but because he couldn't stop staring at them. He could sleep when he was dead. He didn't want to miss even a moment. He just needed to take a quick piss, then he would go right back to staring at them like a creeper.

He wasn't too out of it to react to the Zeta's presence. In fact, he immediately felt defensive about someone approaching the place where his exhausted mate and four newborns slept. In time, the pack would get to meet the four newest members. For now, Peregrine largely wanted them to himself (and Fox, of course). He would share them only with those closest to himself and his mate. The wolf encroaching, though liked well enough, was not among that group. The sight of fresh food made Peregrine relax somewhat.

"Hey, Jaws. Thanks, man," the Alpha said, eyeing the carcasses. "I suppose you heard the good news. The pups are here. Four of them. All happy and healthy." His black tail lifted and wagged as he proudly imparted this news to the subordinate.

Jaws dipped his head deeply to his Alpha. He had hoped to deposit the food and depart without anyone noticing he was there, as he was unsure of how the new parents would feel about him being so near the den at such a sensitive time. He was, after all, little more than a stranger. "You'll have your paws full now," Jaws offered with a grin and a wink. A more formal wolf, versed in the ways of social conduct, might have instead offered a sincere congratulations. But such was not the coywolf's style, although the sentiment was the same. He did however possess enough tact to add on, "I hope I did not disturb you. I did not think either of you would want to stray far for a bite to eat." In a battle of logic, placing the food close had won out of keeping his distance.

Peregrine nodded, feeling slightly woozy as he did so. Surely Fox and the pups would be just fine if he took a little nap. He just didn't want to close his eyes and miss something important. Then again, not much would happen with them for the first week or two. They wouldn't be able to see, hear or even walk. He chuckled as he thought of them as no more than little potatoes with legs.

Then he snapped back to attention and said, "It's cool. You're absolutely right. How the hell did you carry this all at once?" Peregrine demanded curiously, eyeing the five total carcasses. His gaze then lifted to Jaws's face. "Did you spear the mice on your sabers there?" he wondered. If he weren't so sleepy, he mightn't have been so forward (or maybe he would). In any case, he didn't mean any offense. He actually thought it was a cleverly funny observation.

potatoes with legs lol

When Peregrine asked how he carried his catch, Jaws briefly quirked a brow. When he was caching for himself, he would often carry back several small critters at once. It did not occur him that it might not be obvious how one did so. It was not on his long canines though he chuckled softly at the suggestion. "I'll have to try it that way sometime," he said, "but this is how... Using his paws, he proceeded to re-align his catch on the ground, which had fallen from his mouth into a disorderly pile. With the mice and squirrels place side by side, facing the same direction, he bent down and pinched their tails between his teeth. "Sheeee?" he slurred through the mouthful. It was a silly display, but certainly functional.

Jaws seemed amused by the suggestion, though it turned out he hadn't skewered the carcasses. He showed Peregrine how he carried them all by their tails and the Alpha bobbed his head approvingly. Although wolf packs tended to hunt large game, having a talented small game hunter—especially one capable of carrying large amounts of kills this way—could prove useful for the caldera.

"Are you better at catching small game?" he guessed. Although he was eager to turn back inside, he folded his haunches and sat. Jaws had brought him five kills, so the least Peregrine could offer him in return was five minutes of his time. "I realize I don't actually know, like... anything about you or where you came from." And it really didn't matter, not if Jaws could prove himself like this, though the Alpha was a bit curious.

Jaws responded with a nod. "I'm from the northwest," he said. "I've lived alone for most of my life so I'm quite practiced at hunting small game." The coywolf had never been a fan of talking about himself, except when he would make a vain comment in some flirtatious manner. He was guarded in that way. But he was not about to deny his Alpha answers to basic questions, although he kept his answers concise. Unless Peregrine continued with the inquiries about Jaws' hunting it would take some time before the coywolf could demonstrate it all.

The black Alpha wolf appreciated Jaws's brevity, particularly because the lack of sleep meant his attention span wasn't up to par. He bobbed his head, letting that information sink into his sleepy brain (which was also pretty full of puppies). He then looked down at the quintet of corpses at their feet and he felt impressed all over again.

"Why did you live alone?" he asked next. "Was it by choice or... circumstance?" Perhaps that was a nosey question but Peregrine felt it was fair enough. The fact that Jaws had lived on his own intrigued him and he wondered how well he would adapt to pack life. So far, so good, it seemed. Peregrine had no complaints.

For a pup so young, the experience of being abandoned by his mother was nothing short of traumatic. Thus, his memories of life with her, life in a pack, was fragmented at best. Perhaps his most vivid memory was that of his mother, turning her back on him and his siblings, walking away, forced along by the snapping teeth of her mate. She had convinced him to spare their lives but they had more or less been sentenced to death anyway; indeed, his siblings did not live long without their mother's care or the pack's protection.

"A bit of both," Jaws answered, as relaxed as one may be talking about the weather. "I was thrust into it at a young age and adapted to it. I got along fine enough." Anticipating that Peregrine would ask him next why he decided to join them, Jaws went on to add, "but like a moth to fire, a wolf finds itself drawn to the pack." But Jaws could not leave it at that, he had to throw in something more lighthearted. "Or maybe it was the nice scenery around here," he grinned, referring to the territory's rugged terrain.

Or was he?

How young? Peregrine wondered but didn't actually ask. Jaws had scraped by somehow and, eventually, found his way to this neck of the woods. Perhaps he would need some practice when it came to cooperative hunting of large game, yet his surely scrappy resourcefulness would make up for it. For someone with so little social experience, he seemed to be fitting in well enough. He was already on the Alpha's good side, which wasn't a terribly easy place to get.

In fact, Peregrine laughed quietly at Jaws's quip. "This mountain couldn't look more dumpy from down below. I'm sure it looks like a giant gaping asshole from up above," he mused, mind flashing to Magpie. "From where we're standing, though... it really is beautiful." He paused, eyes sweeping their surroundings before finding their way back to the dark male's toothy face. "I didn't love this place when we first discovered it. In fact, it chose us, not the other way around. Fox slipped and fell, so we had no choice but to settle here," he explained.

lmfao poor Magpie

Jaws stifled a laugh at the Alpha's 'giant gaping asshole' comment, his amusement coming out as a half-chuckle-snort, daring not to let himself break the stillness around the den and disturb the occupants within it. His gaze followed Peregrine's as it swept around, remarking on its beauty. Although Jaws had mentioned the scenery he largely favored it for its functional aspects. Throughout his life, much of which had been strenuous and day-by-day, there was little time to appreciate whether a place was simply pleasing to the eye - not when you were so worried about whether you would be able to find something to eat and a safe place to rest.

"I guess sometimes you get to pick, and sometimes you take what you're given." Jaws commented. The latter summed up his life to a T. Jaws was not a chooser, he had been thrown into a life and made the best of what came his way. Peregrine and his mate may not have chose this place, but it was working well for them - and so far, for Jaws too. "Well, I don't want to keep you," the coywolf said as he rose to his feet. Peregrine looked weary and was no doubt anxious to get back to his mate and pups. "Call if you need of me." Jaws bowed his head deeply and quietly turned to leave.

She called him a "gaping asshole." :P

"Indeed," Peregrine remarked. "I love it here now," he added, which was probably obvious. "And one day, it'll belong to the little buggers in there." He glanced over his shoulder, his face growing soft as he stared at the den's mouth. He turned to face Jaws again, prepared to excuse himself, when the male pardoned himself instead. The Alpha dipped his snout gratefully, his tail giving a few friendly twitches.

"Thanks again, Jaws. You'll be able to meet them soon." He watched the shadowy hybrid take his leave, then eyed the five carcasses. He tried to do what Jaws had shown him—clutch them all by their tails in a bunch—but he only got a few feet before dropping one, then another, then another. He eventually gave up, dropping off the remaining two, fetching the others one by one, then settling back inside the den with his mate and their newborns.