Redhawk Caldera It's never too late

@Jaws

She hadn't reached the borders of the caldera yet but she could still see it in the distance, it's peak chopped off as if someone had taken an axe to it. It was so far away and the sky was starting to darken considerably, making the light drizzle even more miserable. Her pelt was soaked and it clung to her thin form, making her bulging stomach look even more awkward then it already felt.

She was starving but there were no other animals out and about during that disgusting rain. She turned in place, trying to find a good place to shelter for the night, but all she could see was a clump of scrawny pine trees. But still, it was all she had.

She shook her fur, sneezed, and headed towards the pathetic clump. Upon reaching it, she found it actually offered more shelter then she expected. The ground was fairly dry and was covered in a soft bed of pine needles. After moving the pine needles around a bit, she lay down on them, a yawn opening her jaws wide before she closed her eyes and fell into a dreamless sleep.

Jaws had finished rechecking the borders and was making his way east of the pack lands for a quick scout of what lay that way, as part of his outrider trade in the works. It seemed he had barely stepped out of the Redhawk's boundaries when an unknown scent caught his attention, the light drizzle having been enough to dampen the surroundings to make for better scenting but not enough to drown it out. Protectively, his fur bristled somewhat, and he abruptly changed his route to check out this wolf who was lurking so near his home.

He was led to a throng of pines, and found the owner of the scent curled up beneath them, taking shelter from the weather. As she was not on his pack's borders he did not approach with a growl or by posturing in threatening manner, but he was all business nonetheless and boldly strolled up to her, finding her asleep to his surprise. He stood for a moment in utter silence, peering down at her, taking notice of her rounded belly. Jaws cleared his throat loudly as a means to wake her, scuffing his paw on the ground so as to send a light spray of dirt at her nose should his voice not be enough.

A sound broke the nothingness that had enveloped her and she shifted ever so slightly, willing whatever it was to leaver her alone. It was to no avail, for a light spray of dirt landed on her face, making her ears twitch uncomfortably. She sleepily opened her eyes, not having enough energy to be worried about whatever it was that was waking her.

She blinked groggily and took in the shadow that loomed before her. Raissa squinted her flame colored eyes and peered at it, slowly realizing it was a wolf. She dragged herself into a sitting position and looked at him more closely.

"Um, hi? Can I help you?" she asked cautiously, rather confused at why this wolf had woken her up.

"No." came his short, simple response as his gaze roamed around her. Besides looking tired and most likely pregnant, she seemed fine and he flicked his tail. "Are you pregnant?" he asked bluntly, raising a brow in conjunction with his question and following up quickly with another one. "Why are you over here, alone?" Jaws did not see anything normal about a wolf carrying pups to be out roaming around. Unless she was a lone wolf, but still he found her out of place. The small copse of trees she was sleeping in was hardly enough shelter and certainly too close to a pack's territory.

Her groggy mind finally registered that he smelled of the caldera and her eyes widened in recognition. She got to her feet and her tail wagged half-heartedly behind her. "Yes, I am pregnant. I need to find Fox. I used to be part of the Caldera and I need her help." she told him quickly, wondering how long he had been part of her former pack.

It had been a while since she left, but still, he seemed to hold authority. How long did it take to rise up the ranks? Maybe it had been longer then she thought.

Jaws was genuine surprised at what the female said next, and it showed, albeit subtlely, as both his brows rose to open his expression. It was not that she was pregnant, but rather that she was a former member of his pack and was looking for Fox. "Is that so?" he asked, his voice even. "What do you need help with?" Was it her pups? Jaws was not sure the new parents would be welcoming of more mouths to feed when theirs were so young. But then Jaws could not be sure what her relationship with his fiery-coated Alpha was. Did she leave on a good note? Her name had never come up. Either way he was not about to knowingly let her (or take her) to the Caldera just like that.

She nodded a bit too enthusiastically for her weak body and stopped immidiatly, still looking up at the obsidian wolf with hopeful eyes. His next question made her tail stop wagging. She had barely known this wolf for a couple minutes, no way was she going to spill all her problems to him.

"That is for Fox and I to know. Not you." Raissa replied sternly, yet not in any way was she trying to be rude. She just didn't want to share her personal issues with a stranger.

Jaws snorted at the female's snappy response, his eyes narrowing and his tail flicking with irritation. He had no reason to believe that she was a threat of any kind and had only a limited reason to trust her. Her saving grace with him was that she was pregnant, that he knew mothers and mothers-to-be were naturally protective of their young and so it lended credit to her saying she was coming to seek aid from Fox and that she was a former pack member.

"Fine," came his response, but it was softer than before as he let his guard down and relaxed, his more compassionate nature guiding his words. "Can you get there on your own?" Jaws could not turn her away, and besides, Fox was small but his Alpha was feisty enough to deal with this one if she became a problem, and if not, Peregrine would not be far off.

Last post for me, thank you!

Raissa's eye softened as he relaxed and didn't pressure her anymore. She was feeling a little bit better now, stronger. She nodded to his question. She could get there on her own, she just needed a little time to rest before continuing much further.

"Yeah, I think I can manage." she said with a slight smile. "I think I'll stay here for the night though, get a little more rest. I'm Raissa by the way." she told him, giving her name with a friendly twitch of her ears.

With that, she settled back down on her temporary bed, ready to get some sleep as soon as he left. It was good to know that there were still kind wolves out there, even though her opinion on males had plummeted below zero. He had managed to prove her wrong.

"Jaws," the coywolf returned when she offered her name. He watched as she settled back down, then gave her a tip of his muzzle and with not another word turned and strolled away, to continue what he had been doing before she had distracted him. He was grateful she had not asked for his assistance, compelling him to spend the night and then escort her in the morning. The coywolf could not remember the last time he had slept anywhere near another wolf, and he was not keen to start now. He did not look back as he went on his way.