Redhawk Caldera wrong time to be thinking of you

Yay, Ty finally has five gamekeeper threads! Boo, she has terrible timing! I'm not sure if she's getting into BFW or not, so I'm just not going to mention it, whee. Anybody is welcome to respond to this. Only tagging Perry since she's calling for him. :)

Finally. Finally. Tytonidae Hawk, as she was now known, had proven herself a valuable gamekeeper. She was nowhere near the level of her father, nor was she as prolific as either of her sisters, but she had accomplished something. Hawk could barely believe that she had actually done it. No longer was she some whimpering pup (or even a whimpering yearling). Hawk was a new woman, and this milestone would likely set her on a path to many more.

As soon as the title was bestowed upon her, Hawk had immediately fled south to see her father. He would be so proud of her, wouldn't he? She pined for his approval, and not the "I love you no matter what you do" kind. Hawk wanted him to know that, yes, she could work hard, too. Well away from the borders, the single living daughter of @Peregrine and Hawkeye called out for her father.

Dis is before the Finley drama, just for my own reference. :)

For some reason, as soon as Fox and Peregrine decided that outsiders were not welcome under any circumstances, Redhawk Caldera had more visitors than ever.

Elwood happened to be nearby when the howl rose in the air, so he took it on himself to respond. When the dark she-wolf came into view, he was surprised that he was the first to arrive. He had fully expected one of the Alphas to have intervened, especially since it was Peregrine's presence that was requested. His tail arched over his back and his gait became stiff; his yellow eyes locked on the stranger, who he did not realize was yet another of Peregrine's wayward daughters.

"You need to leave," he said sternly, coming to a halt and leaving ample space between them; he did notice that she was a considerable distance from the scent markers. He wasn't immediately as aggressive as Fox would have been, but he was prepared to change his behavior should the interaction go south.

Instead of her father, Hawk was met by a wolf she did not know. That bit wasn't surprising, but his attitude was. She was immediately told to leave, and her heart slumped for a moment. But wait, she was no longer Ty the meek! She was Hawk the strong! Well, maybe not that strong, but she could at least do something before she left. "Can I wait for Peregrine?" she asked, "I'll go further away, if that's more to your liking." Hawk remained submissive, especially on another pack's borders, but not the simpering little pup she had once been.

"My name's Hawk," she added, as if that was of some use to him. She wanted to surprise her father with all the good news. Surely he would be thrilled!

Of course she was looking for Peregrine -- it seemed as though as soon as their borders closed, the former Alpha had received a record number of callers. Warily, Elwood wondered what this female's relationship was to Peregrine. Not that it mattered; his instructions were to turn away outsiders, and that was what he planned to do.

She was appropriately submissive and polite, at least, but he didn't relax his stance. Typically, the Beta male would have been happy to converse with someone that knew one of his packmates. Times had changed, however, and he shook his head grimly in response. "I'm sorry, Hawk, but we've closed our borders to visitors. Peregrine won't be coming to see you," he said. If she persisted, he would perhaps ask to take a message, but even that seemed like something Fox wouldn't allow. He would have to see how the situation played out. For now, he remained rigid, his body language the opposite of welcoming.

Hawk out!

She furrowed her brow, confused by this news. Maybe... maybe he had given up on her. Maybe he didn't think she could do it after all. Hawk bit her lip, unsure what to say or do. Her heart practically shredded in two, and all she wanted right now was to curl up with Summer and cry her little heart out. "Just… just tell him that Tytonidae followed in his footsteps," she managed to choke out. Hopefully, he would know what she meant. With eyes watering, Hawk fled from Redhawk's borders, straight to The Sunspire.

Elwood couldn't help but feel bad as he saw Hawk veritably deflate in front of him. She gave him one last piece of information, then turned and ran, leaving a confused Elwood in her wake. He opened his mouth to call out after her, but stopped himself. Fox's orders had been clear -- visitors would not be tolerated under any circumstances. His hands were tied.

With a contemplative exhale through his nostrils, Elwood pivoted and began to stroll along the borders, parallel to the caldera itself. He occasionally tossed a glance in the direction Hawk had gone, feeling confident that she wouldn't return but unwilling to leave the immediate area anyway.

He was bored. He scented wolves and made to investigate, concealing himself some distance away from a pair of them. He watched. Their encounter was brief, the darker of the two leaving almost in tears. He was not sure what the deal was and he did not care. In a split decision he decided to harass the male rather than going for the retreating female. He trailed behind him, downwind, keeping out of sight. Every now and then the male would glance away. After one such glance the Devil made his move, springing from cover and sprinting for the wolf. His jaws stretched open to grab a mouthful of tail-fur, intent spring away with his prize after.

Elwood was so focused on the land stretching outward from the caldera that he failed to notice the presence of a coyote behind him. The creature moved stealthily, so silent that he went undetected for a long few minutes. Only at the last minute did Elwood realize that he wasn't alone, and he whirled just as the coyote lunged for his tail.

The smaller animal's teeth clipped the tip of his tail, perhaps pulling out a few stray hairs as Elwood pivoted. His hackles rose immediately and his lips peeled back in a snarl; what the hell was this guy's problem? Who snuck up on someone and tried to bite their tail? With a rumbling growl, he leaped towards the coyote, though surely the sprightly creature would be much too quick to catch.

ACK. I am so sorry! I thought I had replied to this thread AGES ago. I remember reading your reply and thinking up my own but... well, I suck. <3

He was successful. He tugged free a tuft of fur from the gray wolf's tail and sprang away, just as the wolf's snarled and made a leap for the coyote. He did not go far, he put a secure amount of distance between them and then pivoted nimbly on his paws, flaunting the tuft of fur clutched between his teeth. His tail swayed behind him, as if taunting the wolf to chase, or to try again to reclaim the dignity the smaller canine stole from his tail.  

Not a problem! Thanks for helping me out; I'll fade with this post!

The coyote's only goal seemed to be to tease Elwood, and while he knew that it wasn't worth it to exert energy on a chase, he did it anyway. He closed the gap between them as the slighter canine halted and looked back at him, a snarl tearing free from his lips. Just as he drew nearer, the coyote sprung to life again, this time racing away at a speed that the warden couldn't keep up with.

He followed the antagonist a short way beyond the caldera's borders, then stopped with a huff. Sharp yellow eyes watched until the coyote had faded from view; Elwood gave a warning howl, then resumed his patrol, his senses now on high alert.