If he'd had misgivings about his rank just a week ago, it didn't show now. Peregrine walked boldly and proudly across the plateau, his neck arched and his tail held high. Everyone goes through phases, he told himself, sucking in a deep breath. With that, he put it behind him. Right now, Peregrine hadn't a doubt about his place in the world; he was the Alpha male, he was Hawkeye's mate and, pretty soon now, he would be a father.
The two of them had mused about their pups, of course, but only now, as he strolled through the wood, did the reality of the situation really hit him. He stopped in a shaft of sunlight, his breath catching in his throat. Would he really have a son and a daughter rolling at his feet in just a few weeks? He tried to picture them. Would they be black? White? Gray? Rainbow? His lips twitched.
Turning to face the direction of the den, Peregrine spoke aloud as if addressing Hawkeye's uterus from across the territory. "I don't care if you're boys or girls or how many of you are really in there... I just want you to be health and happy, okay? Is that a deal?" Realizing his own silliness, Peregrine smirked to himself and resumed walking, his head now filling up with all sorts of dreams and plans for his coming offspring.
ooc: We definitely need a rainbow puppy - Osprey would be thrilled. :D
The weather had changed to a rainy/snow one. As if winter couldn't decide, whether to retreat or stay for few more weeks. Osprey had tried to do a bit of skywatching and remember the tips her father had taught her. But behind the thick masses of grey clouds it was very hard to predict anything else but continuous cloudiness. So much for being an aspiring metheorologist.
Oh well... when the sky, hunting and guarding the pack lands failed to provide entertainment, there was only one thing to do. Look for Peregrine! Even as a kid he had been a little kettle boiling with ideas for a rainy day and he had lost very little of this talent in adulthood. She knew the path to Perry's and Hawkeyes' living premisses very well, so it took her little to no time to get there.
And she recognized him the moment she arrived. Osprey stopped, tried to spot the person he was talking to and when found none, grinned and neared him in confident manner. "Having a conversation with yourself?" she teased him. "Are other sentient beings so hard to find?"
Maybe I'll redesign Junior to be white and Aunt Osprey can paint her. ;D
When Osprey appeared, her presence was as natural and accepted as breathing. "Yo!" Peregrine greeted her with a broad smile, his black tail sweeping the cool air. "Not at all," he rejoined without missing a beat, "I was talking to Tytonidae and Osprey the Remix." His eyes sparkled and he regarded her face carefully as he emphasized the latter name, almost teasingly. He wondered if she still didn't like that he was naming one of his children after her.
Prancing nearer to his sister, he greeted her properly by licking her neck. "They'll be here in a few weeks," he said quietly but excitedly. "I'm retardedly excited."
"My dear, beloved, retardedly happy brother," Osprey repeated affectionately, closed the distance between them and reached up to lick his forehead. Happiness was a contagious thing and it was hard to stay slightly depressed with the weather and annoyed by Atticus' lack of interest in her, when Perry was beaming like the sun itself. She hadn't quite got used to the idea that she would be an aunt very soon, but the prospect did make her a bit giddy.
"You do understand that my threat to go for Yerpso, if you name your kid Osprey is still very valid," she threatened him, although smile was tugging at the corners of her lips. "Or I will choose another name, perhaps..." she mused. [/align]
Osprey playfully threatened him and Peregrine answered, "Who said I would have a problem if you called her Yerpso? Go for it." He winked casually at her. "I keep referring to her as O.J. but I think I may end up calling her Junior just because it's hilarious to me, the idea of calling a little girl that." His tongue lolled from his black muzzle in a wolfish grin.
"I imagine," he continued in the next beat, "that the two of you will be thick as thieves and have all sorts of nick- and code-names for one another. I approve of them all. And you have my expression permission to spoil her and take her on all kinds of adventures." His tail swept the air, thumping Osprey's silver flank.
Motioning for his sister to walk with him, Peregrine continued to pad through the trees even as he mused, "I wonder if she's heard all the talk about her name and chosen her color accordingly. What if she pops out looking just like you?"
"You have my word for it - I will kidnap her and the other one quite often," she promissed. Osprey was fond of children and quite often she was more at ease with them than with adults. Maybe because the imagination came so easy to them. "Oh - you don't worry. I will paint her rainbow," she chuckled.
"You got me wrong - I have considered renaming myself. There has always been a part of me that has wanted to be Yerpso," Osprey mused out loud and fell in an easy step besides her brother. Yerpso was fun, reckless, adventurous and didn't give a damn if the world thought that she was crazy. "Or Jill, for example, that is a nice name. Silver from Silver bullet is also good, although it sounds like a man's name," from a pirate story.
"The thing is that I believe that everyone has to have a chance to lvie up to their name," she explained, turning the matter a little more serious. "I mean - you name your daughter Osprey, because you like me and in some aspects you want her to be like me. It sort of sets a certain frame for her," after she had learned MO's history with Osprey Sr. she also had thought that she must be like him for a while. Some things came easy, some didn't until she had understood that you couldn't be anyone else but yourself.
Peregrine chuckled, deeply delighted by Osprey's "threat." It also amused him how everyone was completely convinced there would be two puppies. It was now common and accepted knowledge, all because of the new parents' silly hunch. He would not be disappointed if there were more or less, though the swarthy Alpha would be thrilled if their predictions came true.
"Jill?" he parroted, his nose wrinkling in disgust and his dusky eyes twinkling. "No way. Silver's fine, though, and what's wrong with having a man's name? Junior's gonna have one," he reminded her with a playful growl and lash of his tail.
Although Osprey grew more serious, Peregrine grew almost less so and rejoined, "You're wrong, I neither like you nor want my daughter to be anything like you. You flatter yourself, Oss." He couldn't quite keep a straight face and snorted at the absurdity of these statements.
And though he couldn't actually read her thoughts, it was almost like he could when he asked, "Did you feel pressure to live up to Osprey the Original's legacy? I don't even remember much about him except that, well, he was a him. Hey, you should tell me more about him. Then maybe I'll consider naming her Osprey the Third," he joked, although that wasn't true; he was already entirely sold on his little Junior.
"I don't like you either - I wonder, if that is why we have stuck together this long," Osprey didn't let it pass and regarded him with a half-stern look and then cracked a smile, because both of them knew that the truth was the other way round. "Since we both agree that we don't like each other, then let's hope the kids will be more like their mom. Right now she sounds the most sane of us both," and with this she nudged him playfully.
"And I will be - The Two? Nice thinking, Perry," she rolled her eyes. Nope, if she was going to change her name then it definitely wasn't going to be a numeral. "Osprey the Original? He was mom's brother," she told him. "They were separated in early childhood - he was kidnapped by a mad lady or something - and then they met each other again later. She was very bitter about the fact that everyone from her family had abandoned her, therefore she was not thrilled to see him. He, however, was quite persistent in rekindling their relationship, and he succeeded. Was mom's best friend."
"The Second," he corrected her playfully, then fell silent as she regaled him with the story of their unknown uncle. He vaguely remembered this story but, naturally, he'd always paid more attention to the one about his own namesake. Peregrine was technically named after a female, yet he didn't think of their names as fitting one sex better than the other.
"What happened to him? How come we never met him...?" he asked in a tone that indicated he knew there was a good reason and that he just couldn't recall it.
Osprey furrowed her brow, trying to remember, what more March Owl had told her about the long-lost uncle. It had always seemed to her that mom wasn't particularly sensitive wolf - she was tough, rough and often ignorant of other people's feelings - and yet that one time it had seemed... she genuinely had cared for him. So it was easy to deduce that Osprey Sr had been very important in her life, somebody very, very good.
"He was crippled - mom said that his toes were chewed in a gruesome event, she never mentioned, what it was and what had happened - and one day he disappeared. And since he couldn't have survived on his own in the wilds, she assumed that he had died," she had never asked, if MO had gone to look for him, since she had been so certain of his fate.
"But he had been kind-hearted and forgiving wolf, he liked to twist words and tell stories," she told. "And do you know, what is odd - he was never unkind to the wolf, who had lured him away. She was mad, but harmless and mom told that they had cared about each other a great deal," this was the part of the story she didn't understand.
"I mean... if I had ever been taken away from my family - I would hate that person for eternity. How can you forgive that... let alone be good to that person?" she had wondered about this a lot.
"Damn," was Peregrine's only comment when Osprey recalled her namesake's injuries. How the hell did that happen? he wondered to himself. He knew his sister didn't have the answer. He licked his lips slowly, peering wonderingly into the distance for a moment, before refocusing.
"You got me," he answered. "Isn't that called Stockholm syndrome, though? Maybe Osprey the Original was too nice for his own good. Maybe that's why he didn't live long enough to meet us, harsh as that is to say," Peregrine mused with a quick grimace. "I wonder how he finally won over Mo. Do you know?"
"By being nice and persistant?" Osprey had wondered about this too, because it was hard to imagine, what March Owl had felt as a kid, when everyone she had held close had abandoned her. But it had run deep - that was for sure, because even after all those years she believed she had sensed the hurt feelings resurface, when her mom had mentioned the part of family she had disowned. However it could also been her imagination, telling her things that might not been there at that moment.
"I don't know how, but he did something to be let back in the small family circle," she said. "She had given up him, but he had not given up her. Maybe that was, what did it? Even tough ones need to be loved."
Something about Osprey's words triggered him, causing Peregrine to think of his recent conversation with Atticus. If March Owl had hated and disowned her brother, only to accept him again later, that meant there was hope for the two brothers, wasn't there? He liked to think so, though Peregrine still felt grimly certain that Atticus would forever let it blight their relationship.
"Speaking of not getting along with brothers," he mused, looking at Osprey's face, "Atti and I talked. It was sort of heated but..." He trailed off thoughtfully, then shrugged. "I told him I loved him and to do whatever he needed to do. He said he doesn't plan to leave but I feel like we're still on shaky ground. I still don't know what to think about all of it..."
Atticus was a touchy subject to Osprey and, while she listened to, how Perry had tried to fix things between them, her gaze grew cold and distant. So her older brother had found time to seek out Peregrine and talk to him, while he had never dropped by to even say hello to her. At first she had been understanding of the whole situation, as the time passed on, she had tried to find any faults in her behaviour that would explain, why she was ignored, but now... now she was disappointed and annoyed. Pissed off - would be a word March Owl would use.
She didn't say anything and kept her gaze fixed ahead of her, while they walked in silence. Osprey wasn't easy to get angry at someone, but now she was. She had been for a very long time. "He is an idiot," she finally spat out, putting as much venom as she could in those four words. And then she charged off at full speed, because at that point it was a bit too much for her to bear. Running was the best remedy for hurt feelings, if only it was possible to escape them.
He did not expect that reaction and when, shortly after spitting out the four words like acid, Osprey sped away, she quite literally left Peregrine in the dust. He stood there for a moment, blinking his dusky blue-green eyes, then gave chase, even though he knew he wouldn't catch up unless she let him.
"Oss! Wait up!" he called to her hopefully. Peregrine's face burned as he wondered why Osprey had spoken so angrily about their brother. What'd you do now, Atticus? the swarthy male wondered, his own footsteps thundering in his ears as he tried to gain on Osprey.
Of course, he failed and began to slow, hoping she would circle back. Even as he slowed down, he veered and brushed against a shrub. He flinched comically when something came fluttering out of the bush and flapped into the air, startling him. He straightened out and peered skyward, watching as the disturbed bird stretched out its wings—which featured stark white bars—and began to circle overhead.
Of course, it was foolish to lash out like this - Osprey understood it the moment Peregrine slowed down, unable to follow her at her speed. It was not fair to him and neither it was for Atticus (except at this moment she felt too hurt to admit it). Yet there was so much anger inside her it seemed amazing that she had been able to tuck it away and keep in control for so long. It needed to come out, those words needed to be said out loud and eventually she stopped and turned around, while tears were running down her face.
Peregrine's attention was focused on a bird that was hovering above their heads and not knowing, what to say, Osprey lifted her gaze too to have a look at it.
His gaze followed the bird as it circled upward, though it dropped eventually as Osprey's footfalls neared again. "What kind of—" he began to ask when he saw the streaks on her face and hastened to her side, swallowing that question and asking instead, "Oss, what is it? What did Atti do?"
Peregrine's hackles prickled ever so slightly as he remembered how Atticus had made him feel not so long ago. Although they'd talked and agreed that everything was good between them, that was a slightly idealized version of the truth, as the reality was that Peregrine—and likely Atticus too—was certainly not entirely over everything that had passed between them, hence his comment just moments ago.
Very gently and tenderly, Peregrine nuzzled the damp fur of his sister's cheek, then swiped his tongue over the delicate bones there. With brotherly affection, he wiped away her tears, then swung around to stand beside her, his shoulder pressing companionably into hers as he waited silently for Osprey to tell him what was the matter.
"Better ask, what he didn't do," Osprey said between sobs and leaned against Peregrine's shoulder, finding comfort in his presence. It all seemed so unfair now and it hurt even more, when she thought about it. What had happened to Atticus she had known? Who had been her friend, her dream-and-story-telling buddy? With whom she had shared secrets not even Peregrine knew. What Tyrannus had done was unforgivable and yet - had it changed them that much? Had the damage been so severe that the bond between a brother and sister was broken forever?
"He hasn't come by ever since I came here," she explained quietly. "Not even to say "hello". And yet I have caught his scent near you, Crete, Hawkeye... Have I done anything wrong to be treated like that?" Osprey asked rethorically. "I haven't changed at all, I am the old Osprey, his sister, his friend - then why does he treat me like that?"
As Osprey wept openly on his shoulder, Peregrine's jaw tightened and suddenly the tethers between himself and Atticus began to loosen, fray and tear again. It made at least some sense for Atticus to avoid Peregrine there for a while but why Osprey? The Alpha's ears pinned flat to his head at the sound of her quiet sobs. He was angry with their elder brother all over again.
"That's unbelievable," Peregrine said tautly between lips pulled thin with displeasure. "He was avoiding me but I didn't know he was doing it to you too. Of course you haven't done anything, Oss!" he said vehemently. "I don't know what's going through Atti's head. He treated me like shit but at least there was some excuse for it, unfair as it was. I can't fathom why that dick hasn't bothered to give you the time of day, though, and I'm sorry." His voice lowered to a soft murmur and he slung a leg over her, pulling her into a tight, wolfish hug of comfort.
Osprey felt Peregrine's sudden burst of anger at their brother and part of her felt ashamed that, once things had been settled between them, she had done the damage. She didn't want them to argue and be on the war-zone once again, even if Perry's anger was justified. On the other hand she found his speech consoling - he cared and that was the most important thing now. All could crumble down, but he would still stand by her side.
"Well," she sniffled, "I can't say I don't know, how you felt then, can I? Because it does feel like shit." Osprey looked at her brother and cracked a little sad smile.
"Don't," he replied a little bit inanely, hating that she could empathize with his grief and disliking that sad little smile even more. He hid his face in her neck, nuzzling her affectionately. "I'll slap the fuck out of that asshat as soon as I see him next," he murmured into the curve of her throat, punctuating this threat with a growl to show he meant business.
After a moment, he pulled back to look into her face, their noses nearly touching. "What can I do, for real?" he asked. If Osprey asked him to lay off, he would do that, but he would also be more than happy to track Atticus down and make good on his not-so-playful threat. How dare he drag Osprey through the dirt like this. How dare he make her cry and hurt her heart this way. Regardless of his own sins against Peregrine himself, these things made the swarthy Alpha's blood boil black with fury.
"I am sure you will, but promise me you won't," Osprey was moved by Peregrine's dedication to her, but this was a business between her and Atticus. "Let me handle it - I don't want you two be on bad terms again now that you have found at least some sort of peace," as much pain as this situation had caused her, she didn't want to have them fighting each other. Because deep down she was willing to forgive and would, once Atti would make the first bold step.
"You are here for me - that's good enough," she told him and gave a little, affectionate peck on his snout.
"Too late," Peregrine muttered under his breath. He simply wasn't impressed by Atticus's behavior lately. He'd understood his initial misgivings about his own promotion... but he'd taken that too far. Now he was ignoring, possibly even avoiding, Osprey and what excuse was there for that? None! he thought vehemently, his jaw clenching.
His face softened at Osprey's words. "As I will always be," he promised, nosing her cheek. "Don't let that fuckstick make you cry, Oss. It's his bad entirely, not yours." Peregrine bit back a sigh, gathering his haunches underneath him and plopping onto the ground.
"What about Crete; how's your relationship with him? He and Hawkeye don't get along really well, so I don't get to see him as much as I'd like. You know, he was upset with me too, at first... but he gave me the benefit of the doubt, where Atti didn't. I appreciate how Crete handled the situation," he murmured, thinking out loud. His dusky eyes then cut to his sister, wondering how she and their mute brother fared.
"Perry - I am serious," Osprey looked him earnestly in the eyes. "If you will eff up things between you and him now - I will not talk to you for an eternity," the threat was a playful one - she would never do that to her brother. "Our family doesn't need any more drama or picking sides - it should never have happened in the first place and it has to stop now," no matter, how hurt she felt, family came first. This wasn't a situation they couldn't solve. They were grown up people after all. "So - stay out of it," sh finished.
"All is cool with Crete, I am staying with him, we chase bed bugs together and we have quite long conversations - you know, how chatty he is," she smiled. Crete was a good fellow and quite useful, when she needed someone to cuddle up beside during the night.
Wanna have an updated thread soon? Maybe I can toss baby Osprey into it too. :)
Although her threat was playful, Peregrine knew she was seriously concerned. "Don't worry, Oss, I won't," he replied, sliding his muzzle along her prominent cheekbone. She did have a point. "I'm just here for whatever you need, even if it's just moral support. But if Atti doesn't fix this shit soon, I'm going to flip some tables," he added.
The news that she and Crete shared a den surprised and warmed him. "Really? That's awesome," Peregrine replied, snickering lightly at the mention of their "chatterbox" brother. "Once Atticus gets his shit together, the four of us should get together and, y'know, reunite the dream team."
The tears had more or less dried on her face, yet Peregrine nosed her cheek and then gently licked away what remained. "I hate seeing you cry. I hate it even more knowing who put those tears in your eyes," he crooned quietly. "But... we'll fix this, somehow. Everything is going to get better. The four of us will be good with one another, then the pups will be here soon..."
Speaking of which, Peregrine glanced across the territory as if he heard his unborn children calling for him. "I think I'm going to head back to Hawkeye, see if she needs anything. Come find me again soon. Hopefully you'll have had a chance to talk to Atti by then."
Peregrine gave Osprey a last long, lingering glance, then smiled and turned, murmuring, "Don't worry, daddy's coming home..." under his breath as much for his sister's amusement as for anything.