Redhawk Caldera Crocodile rock

Anyone! :)

Although there was turmoil at the caldera's very borders, Elwood was blissfully happy. The sun warmed his back as he lay just outside the den, keeping a watchful eye on Elwood Jr., who squirmed and wiggled in the shadows. He had heard Peregrine's news about Lasher -- that the Plateau wolf hadn't taken the death of Junior very well -- and that Sebastian had been mauled while outside of the territory. Things were looking pretty grim; but all Elwood had to do was turn his gaze to his son's perfect, freckled face, and he felt better.

With a sigh, he rolled onto his spine, writhing in the dry summer grass in an attempt to scratch an itch somewhere between his shoulder blades. When he was satisfied, he turned back over and propped himself up on his elbows, peeking into the burrow to make sure that Eljay was still within his line of sight. Once the littlest Redhawk was a bit older, he would be able to resume his daily patrols and increase his efforts to keep the pack safe from the trouble brewing outside. For now, though, he flicked thoughts of conflict away like a pesky fly, a slow smile curling on his lips as Eljay's characteristic grunts met his ears.

Peregrine checked in on Sebastian and Dove this morning. The former seemed to be in good spirits and recovering well. The latter was asleep. He couldn't shake the thought that she looked like she was wasting away. Hell, she looked dead. Of course, Magpie assured him she wasn't, though none of them could say whether she would make a full recovery. Only time would tell. He left some meat with them, then departed to let them rest in peace.

Then he made his way to the Betas' den for a slightly more cheerful visit. "Hey," he called as he strode toward their humble abode. Elwood was parked outside, with his son and mate presumably just inside. "How're things here?" he asked, flopping onto his belly a few feet from the new father, glancing at the den's dim mouth. "How's the mini-me doing?"

Before long, Elwood was joined by Peregrine. He turned, his ears pricking as he watched the swarthy male approach. His gaze lingered on the peppered grey fur around Perry's face and throat; though the sudden change had been shocking, it gave the Alpha male a distinguished appearance. Elwood's tail thumped the ground heartily when Peregrine slung himself to the ground alongside him, apparently having some free time and choosing to spend it with his Beta.

"Things are good -- great, even," he replied, stealing a glance back into the den at the mention of his son. Eljay was still a rather under-active child, spending a lot of time sleeping. Even when he was awake, he wasn't particularly active; he seemed to like to just take in his surroundings and react to stimuli, rather than seeking out experiences. But Elwood wasn't worried -- not yet, anyway. He was happy to oblige to his son's developing personality and quirks.

"He was awake a few minutes ago, but I think he might've fallen asleep," he said, cocking an ear. Elwood Jr's sounds had ceased for the time being. Shifting his gaze to Peregrine, Elwood then asked, "How are Sebastian and Dove?" Their scents lingered in the leader's fur, indicating that he had paid them a recent visit.

With two of his subordinates gravely injured, hearing that something was going well around here was welcome news to the Alpha. He smiled, following Elwood's gaze into the dim den. He could see the little pup curled in a ball, apparently asleep. Not for the first nor last time, he was reminded of Pura as a baby. He kept that thought to himself, eyes gliding back to the Beta's face.

"I'm glad to hear that things are good here. Seb's doing all right, I think. He's in good spirits anyway. And he's a fighter." He paused, lips pursed. "I'm not sure about Dove. She didn't look too good. She was asleep when I stopped by. Magpie says there's no telling what will happen with her yet." Although the black Alpha was concerned about his pack mate's fate, it was more about her relationship to Fox and the pack's numbers than any personal interest. Truth be told, he still didn't like Dove, after all this time.

He wasn't sure about Elwood but Peregrine would much rather linger on happy topics, so he glanced into the den again and asked, "Have you and Fin thought about taking the Redhawk name? I know you were thrilled to be Blackthorns and I definitely don't want to take that from you. But I'd be a liar if I said I didn't want you to be a Redhawk."

The news about Dove caused Elwood's lips to turn down slightly. He wasn't overly fond of Fox's sister, either, but that didn't mean that he didn't care about her. The pack didn't need to lose any other members, so he hoped that Magpie would be able to mend her. He didn't reply verbally, but gave his head a shake, pursing his lips as he did so.

Luckily, Peregrine didn't seem to want to dwell on that particular topic, and Elwood was always happy to talk about his own little family. The Alphas and their children had recently taken the name of the pack, and had offered the opportunity to everyone else residing within the caldera. He canted his head thoughtfully at Peregrine's question; the idea had crossed his mind briefly, but he and Finley had -- understandably -- been distracted with caring for Eljay. Or, well, just obsessing over him, since he was a fairly low maintenance little guy.

"We haven't talked about it, but I would be all for it if she is," he said. She hadn't necessarily wanted to give up her last name to take his, so he wasn't sure if she would want to change it now, either; but Redhawk had a much deeper meaning than Grove. "I'll ask her about it soon," he said, grinning at his friend; Fox and Peregrine were already like family to him, and this would only make it more official.

Elwood informed him that the Beta pair hadn't yet had time to discuss the matter much, which was unsurprising considering their new addition. Peregrine nodded, returning his friend's grin. He considered the Blackthorns family regardless of their surname, though the idea they could all share the last name delighted him. It also meant that the Firebirds and Elwood Jr would carry it forward into the future, creating one hell of a legacy.

"He's a quiet one, isn't he?" the Alpha observed, perhaps a bit jealously. All of his kids had been more or less loud right from the beginning, particularly Wildfire. "He must be the most content wolf pup in the world," Peregrine surmised. He had no competition in the form of litter mates; he had two doting parents; and he was part of a powerful pack. His mere existence was a testament to that; not many wolf packs could reasonably support more than one litter.

"Can I get you guys anything?" he asked in the next moment. He was a Gamekeeper, so he would be happy to keep fetching food. He was also a Caretaker and would be happy to babysit too. He imagined that neither new parent was quite ready to leave baby Elwood alone yet, though.

Peregrine soon made an observation about Eljay, and the new father's eyes strayed to his son's prone form. "Quiet" was the most accurate word to describe the boy -- even when he did make noise, his sounds were somewhat muted. His lethargic behavior only added to his silent appearance. "I hope so," Elwood agreed -- either Eljay was very content, or there was something wrong with him. He brushed away the thought; there was no real reason to worry about his development yet, so he wouldn't put the cart before the horse.

His first instinct was to turn down Peregrine's offer, but then he noticed the empty feeling in his belly. Although he frequently slipped away to a cache nearby in order to sate Finley's hunger, Elwood had forgotten to feed himself on more than one occasion. He smiled sheepishly and bobbed his head, his gaze meeting Peregrine's. "That would be great, actually. It's easy to forget to eat as a new dad," he said, feeling that his friend would understand -- the first few weeks of the firebirds' life had probably been much more hectic, considering those puppies had been loud and active from the get go.

As soon as Elwood spoke, Peregrine stood and prepared to disembark. "I know it is," he answered companionably before saying, "Be right back," and slipping away from the Betas' den. It would be easiest just to grab something from a stockpile but Peregrine felt his friend deserved fresh game if possible. If he couldn't scrounge up something within the hour, then he would consider some cold leftovers.

As luck would have it, he managed to snare a rabbit from the nearby warren. The limp body swung in his jaws as he arrived back at the Blackthorns' homestead. He grinned around his catch, then laid it out at Elwood's feet before retreating and settling back down with a sigh and a quiet, "Enjoy."

Elwood watched as Peregrine departed, smiling to himself; he had truly gotten lucky all those months ago when he met the Alpha male in the wilds. Never before had he met a pack of wolves that, as a whole, were not related by blood, but were closer than family. He was reflecting on these thoughts when there was a tiny squeak from inside the den, and he craned his neck to look in at Eljay.

"You okay, bud?" he asked to the deaf and sightless pup, but when it appeared that there was nothing wrong, he resumed his position just outside the burrow. He turned his gaze back to the landscape and soon spotted Peregrine returning with a fresh rabbit clasped in his jaws. Elwood's brows raised with surprise and his tail thumped the ground. He hadn't expected Peregrine to catch something for him, but he more than appreciated his effort.

"Wow, thanks," he said, his stomach gurgling even as Peregrine dropped the hare. As the swarthy male settled himself back down, Elwood tucked into his meal, eating a sizable portion before tucking the remains of the carcass just inside the den. "Finley will enjoy a bite of this later," he said, then refocused his gaze on Peregrine. "So what's going on with you and Fox? The firebirds?"

While Elwood busied himself with the fresh meat, Peregrine idly licked his paws, then began grooming his legs. When he reached his chest, the Beta male finished and spoke up again, causing the Alpha to cease his movements. He could finish his impromptu bath later... or ask Fox to finish it for him.

Speaking of which, Elwood asked about her and the kids. Peregrine replied, "Everyone's doing all right. We couldn't be prouder of the Firebirds. They're all showing specialties already." He smiled a proud, fatherly smile, which then faltered slightly as he admitted, "Although Raven and I barely spend time together anymore. She hasn't been my biggest fan since the incident. I'm pretty sure I traumatized her. I wish I knew how to fix it."

He didn't necessarily want to linger on bad news, though that reminded him of something else. "Speaking of the incident," he continued in a low voice, "I ran into Lasher and told him the truth. I don't know what I expected but he had the worst possible reaction. He basically told me I'm the scum of the earth and that he hopes I die blind and lonely or something like that..."

Even as he said it, the words that had quietly bothered him sounded absolutely silly. Unbidden, a laugh exploded from his mouth. Lasher's words had been driven by sentiment and were entirely ludicrous but never had they seemed so utterly ridiculous as they did now, replaying over and over in his head and causing his laughter to deepen.

Elwood was happy to hear Peregrine's positive news about his growing children. He mentioned that they were already showing preferences towards trades, and nodded his head -- he had seen Wildfire busy at work improving her skills as both a naturalist and a warrior. His smile faded, however, at the mention that Raven had been avoiding her father as of late. He could understand that witnessing the death of her half-sibling had been traumatic, but he hoped that she would move past it in time. "I'm sure she'll come around soon enough," he said, giving Peregrine a reassuring glance.

The Beta male's ears perked as the conversation shifted once again, this time to something more serious. Elwood had heard the general news that Peregrine had spoken with Lasher, but now he was getting the first-hand account from his leader. His lips pursed momentarily, but Peregrine's sudden outburst of laughter was contagious. Lasher's wishes of ill will towards the Alpha seemed ridiculous, and though Elwood wasn't acquainted with the Plateau wolf, he found himself shaking his head as he, too, chuckled.

"I'm glad I don't know him -- he doesn't sound like a very pleasant guy," he said with a roll of his eyes. He then added, "No matter what anyone else says, I still think you made the right call. They weren't there; they didn't experience it. You had to protect Wildfire." He knew that Peregrine didn't necessarily need his encouragement, but he provided it anyway. Then, with a short laugh, he quipped, "Besides, even if you go blind, you'll never be lonely -- I'm pretty sure you're stuck with me, Finley, and Fox for life." Peregrine's Betas would be hard-pressed to ever abandon him, and there was no question that Fox would be faithful for eternity.

Elwood tried to give him some feedback (and reassurance) on the matter and Peregrine did his best to suck in the laughter, though it kept escaping in little bursts and squeaks. He shot his friend an apologetic glance and tried to think of something sad. However, his mind kept revisiting Lasher's ridiculous threats. There was still a part of him that was bothered by his former lover's overreaction, because not so long ago they had promised to be a part of each other's live always. Well, that thought sobered him somewhat.

He appreciated the hoary Beta's remarks, though Peregrine said, "He's actually a very loyal and well-spoken wolf. The thing is, it's clear he's traded sentiment for instinct." The Alpha frowned thoughtfully. "I know I did what I had to do and that Lasher's biases blind him. He seems to think I enjoyed it or at the very least felt nothing. That isn't exactly the case." His feelings toward Junior were... complicated, even still.

He grinned when reminded of Elwood et al's fealty. "Nah, all of you are stuck with me," Peregrine quipped. He let out a long sigh as the last urges of laughter finally left him. "I'm not about to speak ill of the plateau. Lasher's passionate hatred is not exactly mutual. I think he's outrageous but that's all. Anyway, the caldera has proven to be a much more faithful and, moreover, less judgmental family."

Elwood's chuckles subsided as Peregrine reflected on Lasher. In that moment, he remembered that the very wolf they spoke of was the one that the Alpha male had once been romantically involved with. He frowned slightly; he couldn't imagine wishing such dark thoughts on someone that he had once cared for so strongly, but as he had said, he didn't know Lasher. Peregrine's musings led to the conclusion that the Plateau wolf's reaction had been very emotionally-based, and Elwood simply gave a nod in response. It wasn't his place to judge, as Peregrine would remind him in the next instant. He would simply follow his Alphas' lead and protect the Caldera from those who sought to cause harm.

"It's amazing, really -- the Caldera, I mean. We all came from different walks of life, and now we're such a tight-knit family," he commented, flicking his left ear as a fly lit on it briefly. He lifted his hind paw to scratch thoughtfully at it as his statement hung in the air.

"Indeed," Peregrine murmured in agreement, eyes shining with genuine adoration of his family and circumstances. Sure, his background wasn't idyllic (far from it) but this was where he was meant to be. Of course he missed wolves like Lasher (at least, before he'd gone off the deep end), Blue Willow and Osprey. He had always taken it for granted that they would always be in his life in some capacity, particularly his sister. But they had all chosen the plateau over him, which was fine. It just meant that their paths had forked somewhere along the line. They would probably never reunite further down the road, either.

He wouldn't dwell on any of that now. Peering at Elwood, then glancing beyond him, he said, "I probably already said this but whenever the two of you are ready, I'd love to offer my services as babysitter. Contrary to popular belief, I'm pretty good at looking after pups." So many accused him of being a horrible father, for choosing his mate over his kids. But he had only gone with Fox after his kids were grown, even old enough to leave home (as Junior had). He had given them the option of following without forcing them. And when they had been younger, he had been the best parent by far out of the four of them, though of course he knew that Pied would have kicked his ass in the department if she hadn't passed away.

He mused over that a moment, then brushed his thoughts aside and asked, "Any chance I could take a peek at the newest Redhawk before I have to head home to my own whippersnappers?"

The offer to babysit was well-received; Elwood trusted Peregrine one hundred percent, and knew that his son would be safe under the Alpha's watchful gaze. "Absolutely! I'm sure Fin and I will be itching for some alone time soon, so we'll definitely take you up on that offer," he agreed with a thump of his tail. He then commented, "I can't wait until he's big enough to play with the firebirds." Although Elwood Jr was particularly quiet and lethargic, he had the sneaking suspicion that Wildfire, Nightjar, and Raven would be able to pull him out of his shell eventually.

Elwood stretched his forelegs out then, rolling his shoulders and flexing the muscles. As he did so, Peregrine asked if he could see Eljay, and the new father responded with a vigorous nod of his head. "Of course. Come on in. It won't bother him -- nothing really does," he said, standing and sidestepping into the den.

He shuffled over near Finley, planting a kiss between her ears, then turned to face Peregrine and settled onto his haunches. Little Elwood was lying flat on his side next to his mother and the steady rise and fall of his round tummy was his only movement -- as usual.

Elwood invited him inside with nary a hesitation and Peregrine slipped in after him. He bobbed his head at the sleepy Finley, then shifted his eyes to the little gray babe at her breast. He wanted to reach out and snuggle with the little pup, maybe even reminisce about the days when the Firebirds had been so small. But he didn't want to disturb mother or baby. He had only requested a peek and that's all he would take.

"He looks just like you two," he murmured quietly, casting a small at his Betas. "Elwood, this looks like a prime opportunity to join the cuddle puddle. I'll leave y'all alone." He chuffed quietly to the new parents, then slipped out of the den to give them some room and privacy as he headed off to catch up with his own mini-mes.

Elwood smiled proudly as Peregrine complimented his son; it was remarkable how much Eljay resembled both of his parents. There hadn't been much doubt -- they were both quite monochromatic in color -- but beyond that, he had inherited Finley's black stripe. He was the perfect amalgamation of the two of them; all that was left to be seen was whose personality he would take after.

Peregrine then excused himself and Elwood nodded. "Thanks for stopping by. We'll see you later," he said, watching as the Alpha took his leave. He then lowered himself to the ground and curled up alongside his mate and child, contentment washing over him as he closed his eyes peacefully.