Rising Sun Valley annual rate of return

For @Peregrine (and again, if Ebony wants to hop in with @Lasher, that's cool).
Territory inspiration: https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2948/1523...a7a7_h.jpg
No idea what to call it, but I figured they could passively name it. :)

South, far south, they had gone, and then taken a sharp turn to the east. The familiar landscapes brought memories back to Fox. Memories of being a sole leader of a pack, and feeling like she was at home. But they were only memories. Peregrine, Blue, and Dante now ruled alongside her. From now until the day she died, she would not be a sole leader. Her place was at Peregrine's side, no matter where their feet took them today (or tomorrow, or any of the days after that).

The trio was now east of Wapun Meadow and Blackfoot Forest, and they had just crested a hill to see a rather magnificent sight below them. A tall, pine forest sprawled out before them, with a wide, lazy river flowing from north to south. But that wasn't even the most prominent thing in sight. On the other side of the flat, level forest jutted a mountain. It looked as if somebody had stepped on a wobbly rock, and one end had gotten stuck in the earth, leaving a large, exposed jagged edge that kicked its way out into the world. Fox had never been a particularly good judge of distance or height, but she could tell by the way the clouds brushed up against the landscape's top, it was a true mammoth.

Having barely slept, Peregrine began to feel rather tired as their journey wore on to the southeast. He had hoped to stop by the plateau en route, yet they took a more direct route through Rising Sun Valley instead. He didn't complain. Fox really seemed to be enjoying their travels, so he was happy to go along for the ride and follow wherever she took them.

When they crested a slope beyond the furthest eastern edges of the familiar Sunspire sawtooths, Peregrine blinked and arched his head. The view took his breath away and seemed to enliven him all at once. He glanced sideways at Fox, then Lasher, to see what they made of it.

"We're definitely headed in the right direction," he said a bit enigmatically. He paused, then said, "I want to see what's on the other side of that mountain." Perhaps this would take his companions by surprise — he was not, after all, the most eager explorer among them — but he didn't wait for a response before he began padding downward into the wide, picturesque fern gully.

Fox had not been ignorant of Peregrine's more lethargic ways since they had continued to travel. But she had known that he did not want to be away from the plateau for long. So when he had suggested that they swing to the southeast, she had bypassed the plateau in favor of getting more new ground covered in a shorter amount of time. Once they paused to see the gully below them, she glance to Peregrine, who sounded oddly rejuvenated. It made her smile, and she followed him downward toward the river.

It would take them some time to reach the mountain, at least several hours even at a steady pace. "It just occurred to me that you might want to stay relatively close to the plateau," she said to Peregrine. Lasher followed behind them, and she glanced over her shoulder to him briefly before returning her gaze to her mate, trotting alongside. "But it almost seems like you're gunning for the opposite." Fox wouldn't mind either way, of course, but she worried Perry would regret it once he wasn't able to frequently visit his brother. That was, of course, assuming he would traverse the world outside his home.

Fox didn't stop her steady jog beside him, as he seemed energized to see what was beyond the mountain, but she wanted to ensure that he was happy where they ended up.

Fox ran to catch up, falling into step beside him, while Lasher remained behind them. Peregrine motioned for the dark male to move to his other side. Lasher was not a third wheel, as far as he was concerned, so he didn't want him behaving like one. When he caught up with the Alpha pair, Peregrine swiped his tongue over the other wolf's neck.

Turning to Fox, he replied, "I don't want to go too far. The other side of the mountain is probably the furthest I'd go. I don't want to be near any other packs, though close enough to visit if we want," Peregrine explained. "Make sense?"

After that was established, the swarthy male decided to break into a run. The open wilderness lent itself to a full-out gallop, so he ran at top speed, enjoying the fresh air that flowed past him. For someone who considered himself a total homebody, he was really enjoying this foreign, beautiful scenery.

Fox nodded, understanding his reasoning. She, too, wanted to get far away from any potential conflict. The last thing they needed was to be crowded when they were only just beginning to establish themselves. Fox did not want to end up on the side of conflict that The Sunspire had been on. Peregrine sped off, and Lasher quickly followed. Instead of racing after them, Fox picked up a more leisurely canter as she watched the two speed off from her sight. She grinned a toothy grin, glad to see that Lasher did not seem terribly perturbed by their previous encounter. Either that, or he was simply ignoring that particular incident for the sake of Peregrine.

With Peregrine and Lasher up ahead, Fox continued along her merry way, following their scent trails with ease on the floor of the conifer forest. But when a grumbling voice behind her alerted her to the presence of somebody else, Fox stalled, coming to a gradual stop. Whoever had made the noise was nowhere to be seen, and she sniffed the air expectantly. Nothing on the wind, either. Feeling somewhat uneasy, she turned and once again loped in the direction of her two traveling companions.

Three strides into it, however, there was a louder, unmistakable sound of a bear's roar. And it was so close that she knew the beast couldn't be far behind. That was all it took for the fiery girl to increase her speed to its maximum capacity, speeding along like a beeline. "Peregrine!" she called out between breaths, panic clear in her voice. The bear was hot on her heels.

When he looked back, he saw Lasher keeping pace with him and Fox becoming a small red speck in the distance. Although Peregrine enjoyed having her at his side at all times, he was not opposed to splitting up a while and letting her explore on her own. In fact, he knew an opportunity when he spotted one. He whirled suddenly, rounding on Lasher and tackling the male into a nearby glade for a quickie.

But his wife's scream broke his bone immediately and Peregrine leaped to his feet. Bounding right over Lasher, he yelled back, "Fox! We're coming!"

Driven by the helpless sound of her cry, he rocketed in her direction. Once he passed through a break in the trees, he saw her galloping toward him — a large bear rolling after her like a huge, furry boulder. The sight made him nearly piss on his own leg. He didn't hesitate, though. Peregrine streaked right past Fox and aimed to snap at the bear's shoulder in an effort to distract it.

The sight of Peregrine and Lasher made her heart nearly leap right out of her chest. She was always happy to see them, but she had never been this happy to see the sight of their stupid, silly faces. Instead of running away from the bear, though, her mate went toward it in a horrific turn of events. "Peregrine, NO!" she screamed, but he was already at the bear's shoulder, nipping at it. Cougars were one thing, and Fox had fought a few in her day. Even coyotes were nothing to scoff at. But bears were not the kind of creatures Fox usually messed with.

She didn't know where Lasher had gone in that moment, but her brain probably wouldn't be able to process that information even if she'd had it. Adrenaline was pulsing through her system, and she knew that her only course of action was to try and get Peregrine away from the—now rather pissed off—bear. With reckless abandon, Fox sped toward her lover and the bear, hoping to cut Peregrine off and get them all the hell out of there.

Peregrine didn't hear Fox's second cry, as blood was rushing to his head and pounding in his ears. He managed to clip the beast's shoulder with his teeth, yet the thick fur and fat thwarted him. Realizing he was in a precarious position, he attempted to bound backward, out of reach if the bear swiped at him with one of its massive paws.

Even as he leaped clear, he saw his mate running back toward them. "Fox, run!" he shouted at her, springing in her direction and giving her a rather rough shove.

His eyes flicked around, searching for Lasher, even as he crowded his mate away from the irate bear. He didn't see the ocher male. Swallowing, Peregrine nipped Fox's rear end and then dug his paws into the earth, propelling himself forward. They could probably outrun the larger predator on this flat ground, or else lose it in this thick forest of conifers.

For a while, Peregrine didn't dare look behind them. He could hear the thunder of the bear's paws as it pursued them. Eventually, these sounds faded into the distance and yet he did not slow or stop. Only when he realized there was nothing but the whistle of wind and Fox's delicate footsteps in his ears did he chance a glance over his shoulder.

The bear was nowhere in sight. But neither was Lasher. Peregrine braked roughly to a halt, looking around in a panic. Had they left his lover behind to be killed by the bear? He lifted his muzzle into the air and didn't smell blood. But that didn't mean anything. The swarthy Alpha male stood there, legs trembling from exertion, trying to decide what to do.

When Lasher erupted from the brush beside them, Peregrine peed a little. "Taltos," he said with relief, feeling weak in the knees as he pressed his muzzle into his lover's ruff. Over Lasher's shoulder, he caught Fox's eye and, still panting heavily, said soberly, "We definitely won't be settling anywhere near here."

I shall name it "Bearclaw Valley."

She was shaking visibly by the time they stopped, still feeling anxious that perhaps they had not been able to outrun the beast after all. When she realized that Lasher was not with them, a feeling of dread crept over her, turning her blood to ice. He returned, though, and Fox felt a smidge of relaxation come to her. Still, she glanced in the direction they had come from, tongue lolling from the side of her mouth. She did not fancy going back that way to go home. They would have to find another route.

A part of her wondered if they should just head back now and return to the quiet comfort of the plateau. But she refused to turn around just because they had been chased off by a single bear. There were plenty of other things out here that were wild and scary (the wolves included), and Fox had been involved in much worse encounters. "I just want to get as far away from here as possible right now," she admitted, touching both Peregrine and Lasher on their shoulders before beckoning them to continue toward the mountain. They could always change direction if they felt so inclined.

His mate seemed to be in complete agreement. When she beckoned them toward the mountain, he broke into a trot. Although this place was beautiful, he wanted to get out of here quickly. He still wanted to explore the yonder peak, though he wondered if it would be wise to consider settling there, what with their vicious neighbor (possibly plural). They would have to wade through that gulch any time they wanted to visit the plateau, which meant they would have to risk their lives. On the other hand, a valley full of bears might make for an awesome barrier, more effective than a moat full of alligators...

"Let's see what's up there," were the first words he spoke after a long spell of silence. They were closing in on the foothills leading up to the squat crag now. "Maybe there's a waterfall," he hoped out loud, glancing at his partners and managing a cheeky grin even though his heart was still racing from their earlier encounter.

Shuddering once more, Fox nodded. It was going to take a while before she returned to her normal emotional state. Every rustle of autumn leaves made her twitch right now. They made their way up the sloping land mass, but there was no waterfall to be found. While the place was not devoid of water, it didn't have that extra "something," that the three of them were looking for. It was nice, and it would likely make a good settlement for somebody else, but it was not for them, she decided at last.

"Close... but no cigar," she said after a few hours of exploring to see what the crag (I really like this word, omg) had to offer. Instead of feeling defeated, Fox felt like they were getting closer. Somehow, she was feeling more and more optimistic about their outcome. They would continue traveling until they found what they were looking for. She knew it had to be out here somewhere.

The exertion of the climb quickly chased memories of the bear from his mind. By the time they reached the top of the mountain, he felt rather spent. He needed sleep. Instead, he trailed after Fox and Lasher, trying to pay attention to his surroundings and review them with a critical, not sleepy, eye.

At length, his wife summarized his thoughts on the matter: this wasn't the place. "No, it isn't," he agreed, "but let's camp here for the night. I'm exhausted." He was so worn out, he wanted to slump to the ground right there. Instead, he looked at Fox lustfully and added, "I know it isn't going to be our home... but wanna christen it anyway?"

The fact that Lasher was standing right there didn't bother him at all. Hell, if he stayed and watched, Peregrine didn't even care. Actually, he'd kind of like that, though he wouldn't say that to either one of them. If Fox shooed Lasher away — or if Lasher excused himself — that was fine. One way or another, though, he was going to have his wife right here and now and then he was going to sleep, hard.

This older gentleman sitting in front of me on the bus looks like a future (30-40 years) version of Ian. I have the weirdest lady boner right now.

When Peregrine gave her bedroom eyes and suggested they boink on the spot, she glanced to Lasher, pondering. She certainly had no qualms with him watching, if only because she didn't see it as something that needed to be done in secret, but she did wonder if it would raise jealousy in Perry's other lover. She had never seen the two of them do their thing (and she actually couldn't quite imagine how that all worked), and she wondered if the sight of it would turn up the jealousy in herself. Likely not, if only because she knew Lasher would never be able to give Peregrine children. That was something that she had, and Lasher did not. It was sad, in a way, and she wondered if he would ever take a lady lover.

Deciding that Lasher would leave if he knew the scene would cause him jealousy, she turned back to Peregrine, already beginning to feel warmer than she had when they had been climbing the mountain, despite the fact that they were no longer moving. Nipping at her mate's shoulder, she beckoned him to do as he wished with her. With or without Lasher's eyes upon them. In fact, the thought did make it new and exciting, if nothing else.

Lol, maybe this is an indication that you'll still be attracted to him when he's older.

I came home and Tyler's playing Destiny with my brother and cousin (remotely). He was all tickled about it when he showed me... or, rather, when he made my cousin say "hi" to me over the speaker, lol.

Peregrine knew Lasher wouldn't mind if he took a break to make love to his wife, though that didn't necessarily mean he wanted to stick around and watch it. The swarthy male traded a sultry glance with his male lover as if to say, Stay tuned. I'll get you tomorrow. He then focused on Fox, giving her all of his male attentions.

By the time their coupling concluded, Peregrine literally didn't have the strength to do anything but sink to the ground. "Love you," he murmured as he rolled onto his side, one cheek propping on Fox's right forepaw. "Love you both..." And then he was out like a light.