Big Salmon Lake You talkin' to me

@FitzDutiful :)

The air was so hot and thick, it may as well have been soup. It made Wildfire feel terribly sluggish and lazy, though she jumped when her Aunt @Dove proposed they go for a bath swim. Thinking the white she-wolf would lead her to the main caldera or possibly Lake Rodney, Wildfire shadowed Dove's steps. They went in entirely the wrong direction, though, and the child hesitated when her aunt led her outside of the territory. Would her parents like it if they knew they were leaving the caldera? Well, Wildfire had no choice but to trust Dove knew what she was doing and scrambled to catch up with her.

"I've been here! This is Salmon Lake," Wildfire said as the two of them drew up along the slightly familiar shoreline. Dove shrugged disinterestedly and waded right into the water to begin washing her pelt, essentially leaving the child to her own devices. The youngster frowned and followed the adult into the shallows, slinging herself into a sphinx-like position to let the cool water lap over her back and shoulders. Meanwhile, she ducked down her head to lap a few mouthfuls to slake her thirst.

Whooops! Thought I'd replied to this on Friday. Had half an hour's worth of confusion as to why it wasn't in my threadlog ^_^

FitzDutiful was out looking for more lone wolves, while also keeping an eye out for Raissa. Her scent was beginning to fade from the den and, although she often went to catch food now, it wasn't like her to not return home to Mason and June. Feeling sure that his mate and alpha would return soon (but completely unaware that this wouldn't be the case) FitzDutiful put that out of his mind as he headed to the lake for more recruitment.

It was hard to say, presently, whether any of his previous attempts had been successful but he was no longer letting that put him off either. His children were becoming more independent and very close to being fully weaned - he thoughts returned to them when he noticed a young pup near the lake.

A white wolf was swimming in the lake, so FitzDutiful made sure to stay well away from the pup, letting his voice carry to both of them "Hi there, am I okay to approach?" he didn't want his throat ripped out for getting too close to a pup and being seen as a threat. The wind brought the scent of the Redhawk Caldera to him, his eyes thought he saw a Fox in the pup's features, and he was even more on guard. From his last attempt to see Peregrine he was very aware that this white female might sooner attack him than let him speak for this pup must be one of his. Finley and Elwood hadn't even been a guaranteed thing when he was last there, let alone have a wolf child of this age.

Wildfire wasn't aware of the wolf approaching from behind her until she saw Dove react to his presence. The pup's golden eyes narrowed questioningly when her aunt abruptly ceased her bathing and glared over her head. Slowly, Wildfire turned to look over her shoulder. The stranger spoke at the same time, asking if he could approach. The pup jumped to her feet, water pouring off her tiny frame, and sloshed closer to Dove. Her black tail stuck out behind her like a poker as she warily eyed the cream-furred male.

"Don't bother us and we won't bother you," came Dove's curt reply. She shrugged, then glanced at the youngster, who blinked up at the white she-wolf before retraining her gaze upon the unfamiliar wolf. Little did she know he had once been a part of her parents' pack, a valuable asset who had made his own way and now ruled a pack on one of the nearby mountains.

Since Dove made no effort to exchange introductions or pleasantries of any kind, it fell upon the young pup to softly query, "Who're you?" Recollecting her recent encounter with Kerosene, she said, "I'm Dhole and this is my Aunt..." She glanced at the sleek Dove, whose wet coat draped her bones. Usually, it was so much more plush and pristine. "Cloud," the child finished, once more looking charily at the other wolf. Behind her, she heard Dove snort, then snicker.

Dove answered his question and FitzDutiful responded with a nod, he padded over to a side of the lake and began to drink, keeping his eyes on both the white wolf and her little ward in case the situation began to turn dire. The young one seemed interested in more than a curt meeting though, as she questioned who he was and introduced them with names and didn't seem quite real if the reaction from 'Cloud' was anything to go by.

"Nice to meet you Dhole," it seemed such an odd name to pick, "I'm FitzDutiful, from Silvertip Mountain, I'm out looking for lone wolves to recruit." She was harmless and he hoped that the white wolf hearing this would know he wasn't here to hurt or hinder them. As he spoke he kept his immediate attention on her but warily paid attention to his other senses in case more Redhawk Caldera wolves approached. He knew the extents he would be willing to go to in order to protect Mason or June and didn't doubt that Peregrine and Fox would do the same.

He was much more forthcoming than either young or old she-wolf, though Wildfire thought his name sounded rather fictional too. When he said the word recruit, the pup's amber eyes widened slightly. Of course, neither she nor Dove were going anywhere, yet Wildfire was definitely curious to hear what he did in order to lure wolves to this Silvertip Mountain of his.

Chewing the inside of her cheek a bit nervously, Wildfire's eyes shifted from side to side before she inquired, "What do you do to recruit 'em?" The last two words out of her mouth were partially obscured by a loud splash behind her. Wildfire glanced over her shoulder to watch Dove scoop water over herself. Wildfire liked the water, though she would never understand her aunt's compulsion for bathing.

FitzDutiful managed to catch the last of Dhole's words, only because his mind told him that they made sense. It was assumption more than actual hearing thanks to Cloud's splashing in the lake. It was almost as if she was warning him that she was still there - a warning he took to heart.

"Mostly I talk to them, make sure that they would fit well with my family and then extend them an offer." It was simple really, a basic principal. "If we're low on space then I might ensure they have skills already - if not I make sure that they're willing to improve themselves and earn trades."

FitzDutiful was calmer around children now that he had his own, though he still didn't understand how to talk to them very well. He tried to treat them like an adult but using smaller words so he didn't confuse them too much - if that was the right tact, who could say? He didn't have an innate skill at this sort of conversation and so he just tried to treat them, well, like any other wolf.

He provided a straightforward and sensible answer that was easy for the youngster to understand. She wondered what made a wolf fit in with his family. Wildfire imagined he preferred dutiful wolves, given his name. In any case, FitzDutiful's requirements seemed both reasonable and fair. Probably her parents used similar criteria.

"Do you wanna recruit my Aunt Do—Cloud?" Wildfire asked, nibbling at her lip as she nearly let Dove's full name slip. She tried to recover with a small, hopeful, even cheesy smile. Of course, her aunt wasn't on the market for a new home. But out of all her aunts, she was certainly the child's least favorite.

"I can hear you, you know," Dove called out sarcastically, causing the pup to lower herself a bit sheepishly... while still giving FitzDutiful that same puckish grin.

Well, he certainly wasn't failing at talking to the youngster as a question soon came in his direction. One asking if he was looking to recruit her aunt. If FitzDutiful hadn't been aware that they were using fake names, he was more and more certain of it now. Still, he decided not to press the baby-wolf on the reasoning. It was entirely possible this was something Peregrine and Fox had told her to do in order to look after herself and it made sense to him.

"No," he said returning the smile. "You and your aunt smell heavily of the Redhawk Caldera pack, so I know you're not available for recruitment. I usually talk to wolves who don't have a strong scent like we do, it means they're not in a pack at the moment."

He thought for a moment, wondering if she had realised the differences in pack scent. "Can you tell how I smell different to you and your aunt? That's because I'm from Silvertip Mountain and other wolves from my pack will have a similar scent upon them too."

As a wolf, Wildfire knew the importance of scent. However, she had never really thought of the subtle nuances FitzDutiful mentioned now. Her head cocked when he explained why he would not waste effort trying to recruit the pup or her aunt. Despite their discreetness, he appeared to know exactly where they came from. Perhaps Kerosene had also known, long before she'd told him herself. That was good to know. Was there any way of hiding that, she wondered? Wildfire couldn't imagine how.

"I guess I never paid attention," she confessed. Wildfire paused for a very long moment, then asked, "Can I...?" She crept nearer to him, stretching out her neck, nose wiggling in his direction. It was preferable to put her nose right up against him to get the full experience of his scent, yet she was reluctant to get that close. Anyway, she could pick up most of the details of his personal fragrance from here. It was kind of like reading a book in a language she only partially understood.

"I get it, kinda," she said, withdrawing again. "You know about Redhawk Caldera?" It still blew her mind a bit to know he could tell they hailed from there on scent alone. But he spoke with a certain familiarity, so Wildfire wondered if he knew her parents or anything else about her pack and home. Maybe she could even pass a message for him!

She seemed slightly confused about the concept of scent but crept forward to sniff at him more. Maybe she was too young to pick up all the different nuances of scents like he had - or maybe he had a skill for it. It was hard to say, you knew what scent you had and that was the norm. You could never experience someone else's scent capabilities.

Dhole asked whether FitzDutiful knew about Redhawk Caldera and FitzDutiful couldn't help but chuckle. Of course he knew it - knew it well, or so he had. He remembered his last encounter there and felt slightly ashamed at how he had reacted. He had taken it way too personally, so he realised now. He couldn't expect them to just welcome him to their borders any more. Just because he did didn't mean that was how they were to be either.

"I know it well. I followed you mum and dad when they set off to found the Redhawk Caldera. I stayed for a long time until me and my mate wanted children of our own and so we made our own pack."

It was a very brief history of his time with the pack, but it summed it up well - other than the countless things he had learnt from the pup in front of him. He didn't know what she was definitely Peregrine's offspring but she had such a look of Fox about her that it seemed hard to say otherwise - plus she was about the right age too.

Her brows lifted when he told her he had been from Redhawk Caldera at one point. He had left when he and his mate decided to have children. Wildfire didn't understand this part. Why had this prompted them to leave? She thought of Elwood, Finley and tiny Elwood Jr. She was young but smart. Even as she considered it, she wondered if their status in the pack had something to do with it.

The only way she could really learn and understand was to ask questions. "Why did that make you leave?" And before she could forget, Wildfire wanted to know, "Do you wanna pass a message to my mom and dad? Or anybody else? Do you miss them?" Wildfire couldn't help but wonder. The idea of leaving the caldera caused her insides to ache. Despite her wanderlust, she couldn't think of any reason to leave her home, not for good.

Why did it make him want to leave? That was a very good question and one that FitzDutiful had to think over. He had never asked his alphas for permission to breed before he had left, he just assumed that it wasn't going to be okay - plus he had wanted to rule his own mountain. "I think it was more wanting to run my own pack, than wanting to have children. I didn't want to answer to anyone else or have to ask permission to have and raise my own children." That was as truthful as he was to himself - he would never remember that the having of children was something he had felt he 'owed' Raissa at the time.

"I do miss your parents though, they were- are, maybe - good friends. And if it's not too much trouble, would you mind telling your father I'm sorry. Tell him, I was hasty in my assumptions and maybe one day we can meet and talk about the last time I visited the Caldera." Time could heal most wounds, especially for FitzDutiful who didn't like to mull over the bad times and, instead, put another foot forwards and move onwards and upwards with his life.

Thanks for the thread! :)

Although Wildfire couldn't say she understood his feelings on the matter, his elaboration made logical sense. She understood how things worked hierarchically, even at her young age. It was part instinct, and being the Alphas' offspring filled in any remaining knowledge gaps. Personally, Wildfire did not aspire to rise to the top, which made her even less able to come up with a reason to ever leave the caldera.

FitzDutiful did want to pass a message. Her amber eyes brightened and she listened carefully. Her brows furrowed and Wildfire wanted to ask him a thousand questions. Why did he say were, then are maybe? Why was he apologizing? She wanted to ask but clapped her mouth shut. It was none of her business. It was an Outrider's duty to pass messages, not pry into them.

"I'll tell him," Wildfire promised. "I'll tell him, 'FitzDutiful from Silvertip Mountain says he's sorry for being too hasty in his assumptions. He would like to meet one day and talk.' Does that sound right?" Had she covered everything, all the important details?

But before he could answer her, Dove suddenly appeared at her side. "It's time to go, kiddo." She nipped at Wildfire's ear, presumably as an affectionate gesture, yet her teeth scraped uncomfortably against the pup's skin. She winced and pulled away, then glared at her aunt's back as Dove did a pirouette and began to trot back toward the caldera. "No dawdling!" she called over her shoulder without so much as a backward glance.

"I gotta go. I'll pass on your message. Bye, FitzDutiful," the whelp said, bobbing her head respectfully before spinning and galloping to catch up with Dove, lest her aunt tell her parents she had been disobedient.

The meeting, greeting, had come to a close and it was all FitzDutiful could do to hope hat she would remember to pass on his message - and that Peregrine would understand what had transpired. It had taken loosing someone dear to him in order for him to understand that not everything could, or should, be shared with the outside world. In the near future both the Spine's and the Caldera's alphas would learn what had transpired at the Silvertip Mountain but for now he wasn't willing to admit any of it.

Turning on his way, he carried on searching the area with his nose for scents, sounds, that would indicate potential new pack members that he could recruit.