After a thorough search, Peregrine came to the conclusion that Crete had left the plateau voluntarily and unmolested. After all, there was no sign to indicate foul play and, much as Peregrine didn't like to admit it, there was also plenty of motivation for him to leave. If Crete had mentioned his decision to his brother, the Alpha male would've given his blessing and well wishes. But Crete hadn't said a damn thing. And being a mute was no excuse.
Feeling pissed off, hurt and betrayed, the Alpha male stalked around the borders of his territory. "You couldn't even let me know, you dickbag?" he said to his likely faraway sibling. There was no affection in the epithet. "You couldn't even wait to see my babies?" He growled deeply and paused at the crest of the plateau, gazing out over the snaking Whitefish River and the springtime sprawl below. Resentment emanated off him in invisible waves.
Blue Willow was out walking when she heard and angry voice and she froze for a moment thinking someone was on their border land. She soon could tell it was Peregrine and she sighed, she wondered what was wrong. She however could not leave her first friend in the pack alone if he needed help and if he should need someone to rant at she would fill that area too if needed.
Blue Willow chuffed softly at Peregrine. Peregrine are you okay? She stood in his view, made sure to be submissive. She did not wish to anger him anymore and it seemed that he was irritated and hurt and she did not want to add to it.
His nostrils flared as he stood there and silently raged at the view (and the brother that was no longer any part of it), then swiftly turned to stomp elsewhere. That's when he saw Blue Willow. A second later, her soft, concerned voice touched his ears and something about it drew a long sigh from him.
"You know how you mentioned that Crete was missing the other day? Well, he's gone." His jaw clenched as his tone became very flat. "I'm almost positive he went back to our birthplace, which would've been fine... if he'd said something to me instead of just vanishing. He disappeared just in time to miss my daughters' birth. It's infuriating, especially because it was the last thing I ever expected from Crete."
Shaking his head, Peregrine said, "I don't want to think about it anymore, though; it's just going to put me in a horrible mood. What're you up to? Hey, wanna talk about your chronicling stuff?"
Blue Willow shifted her ears "I'm sorry I tried to find his trail too, but unfortunately I could not. That wasn't very nice of him, perhaps he just needs to work through some things and he'll be back. Blue Willow had looked for quite some time for Crete, but she had been unsuccessful in even finding a scent trail for him. She did not think that the mute brother would be back, but she wanted to reassure her leader if she could.
Blue Willow chuckled slightly and nodded her head "Very well do you know how the pack formed? Or would you prefer to talk about where you come from and what caused you to settle here?
"He won't be welcome back," Peregrine said angrily. Actually, he didn't mean the words himself but the Alpha male knew Hawkeye would be incredibly hard-pressed to welcome Crete into her ranks ever again. That was part of the reason why he was so pissed off at his mute sibling's actions. He'd fucked himself over if he ever intended to come back here.
He said nothing more of his treacherous brother. Instead, Peregrine focused on Blue Willow's line of questioning, mulling everything over in his head before answering, "I wasn't here when the pack formed but Hawkeye's told me a bit of its history. I know the pack was once called Bone Dye or something like that and when the Alpha disappeared, Hawkeye took over and relocated everybody here. As far as I'm aware, none of those original members remains except for Hawkeye herself.
And as for me, well... I came here after my elder brother, Tyrannus, exiled me from my birth pack, Flightless Falcons. He ended up exiling almost all young males, including Atticus and Crete." His eyes flashed. "Recently, a messenger came here to tell us that our mother had passed away and that two of my other brothers, Perseus and Echo, rebelled against Tyrannus, killing him and taking over the pack. That's very likely where that asshole Crete went back to," he added in a sardonic tone, unable to quite let it go despite his best efforts.
Blue Willow blinked in surprise surely Peregrine didn't meant that. As she thought about it though she did remember all the tension between Hawkeye and Crete. So perhaps it wasn't Peregrine at all that was the nay-sayer, but more along the lines of his mate. It saddened her to see the two brothers at odds like this and it would very likely never be fixed she felt that was even worse.
Blue Willow listened her ears forward. She loved to hear history of things. Her intrigue was peaked when she was told that the former alpha disappeared she wondered where he or she went. "Did anyone ever find out what happened to the former Alpha? That was something that Hawkeye would probably have to be asked truthfully, but she felt no harm in the asking.
Blue Willow looked at her friend sadly "Perhaps he was just so home sick he couldn't take it or perhaps he did not feel very comfortable here. I know this...well it sucks frankly but I am sure he had his reasons and he also had his reasons for not telling you I am sure, maybe he felt that if he told you you would try and stop him and he would feel obligated to stay and that made him unhappy. I am truly sorry Perry.
"Her name was Jinx and she's still around here somewhere. I beat her ass once for coming too close to our borders," Peregrine replied. He said little else on the topic, as he didn't harbor any particular feelings toward the she-wolf. She'd come too close and he'd dealt with her, end of story (unless she tried it again).
"Fuck his 'reasons,'" Peregrine said in reply to Blue Willow. He liked her a lot but hearing her make excuses for Crete irritated him badly. "He's a total dick for not saying anything, end of story. He knew I'd be okay if he wanted to go home because I told him as much. There's no reason or excuse I'll accept, period. And, look, I know I keep bringing it up but can we stop talking about this?"
He felt bad for letting his agitation affect Blue Willow. Peregrine took a deep, steadying breath and, much more kindly, asked, "What else would you like to know? " But before she could possibly answer, he thought aloud, "You know, I bet a Chronicler isn't just responsible for the pack lore. That's all going to be rather dry. I bet you could earn your stripes by doing some storytelling. In a few weeks, you'll have eight little ears at the ready for just such a thing."
Blue Willow blinked at the harsh words that spilled off of her leaders lips, but that was the only reaction she showed. THough it bothered her that he took his anger out on her and he had brought it up, she decided that he needed to get it off his chest and it was better to just grin and bear it rather than try and fix it or make anymore excuses or even try to defends herself. Sometimes one just needed to rant a little.
Blue Willow smiled largely and shook her head "That's right they offer the history and tell stories. Would you like to hear a story Peregrine. The last part she simply was teasing, hoping to lighten the mood. "I know many stories my father taught me all he knows. (For stories if Danni every has to tell one they would be Native american legends tweaked just a bit lol)
"I don't have the attention span for stories," he quipped, "but when the tots are old enough to listen to some, I'll be in the audience as well. I'm sure I don't need to tell you to keep them family-friendly, with a good lesson built into them." His lips parted in a panting laugh, though it didn't quite reach his eyes, which remained dark and troubled.
"Truthfully, the plateau hasn't been around long enough to have much history or any really good stories yet. But those same pups who'll listen to your stories, they'll be the ones creating our story. They're our future. And if I have anything to do with it, their childhoods are going to be full of adventure," Peregrine mused, getting a little off-subject, albeit unabashedly.
"Speaking of the minis," he said after a long beat of silence in which he stared off into space, "would you like to come by the den and visit? Ty's and Junior's eyes opened this morning." His black tail waved and, this time, his smile did reach his eyes.
Blue Willow's mouth opened in a silent laugh when he spoke about attention span. "perry that's not exactly the best thing, because most children don't have a very long attention span. She was teasing him truthfully, but she couldn't help it. She enjoyed teasing those she was friends with she had teased her brothers unmercilessly.
Blue Willow listened to him speak about his children and she had to smile, he really loved them that was obvious. "I would love to be on some of these adventures. My mother and father used to have some with me if we were in a place more than one day. One time my mother took me on a scavenger hunt with feathers and pelts and herbs. She smiled softly at the memory her prize at the end had been a rabbit to eat all to herself.
Blue Willow stood swiftly "Of course i would love to see the mini's lead the way proud papa. She chuckled again and motioned for him to lead the way. She enjoyed visiting the pups and to see their eyes open was a great thing indeed.
Peregrine cocked his head when she mentioned a scavenger hunt. "We should totally organize one for the troops when they're old enough," he said. "Come on," he added, turning and leading her in the direction of the den. Although she couldn't see his face, his lips twitched in response to the proud papa title.
They arrived at the den a short time later to find Hawkeye fast asleep, three of the puppies also slumbering soundly beside her. He saw that Osprey was awake, though, nosing around the den and blinking her watery eyes. This morning, he'd only see the smallest sliver of blue. Now, Junior's eyes were about halfway open, her tiny eyelids drooping endearingly.
When he stepped into her field of vision, her head wobbled and she squeaked. Peregrine bent down and licked the back of her neck soothingly, then closed his teeth around her scruff and hoisted her into the air. Quietly, he swung around to stand in the doorway, facing outward at Blue Willow. He gently dropped Osprey Jr. between his forepaws.
"Lookit those baby blues," he crooned, tail slowly waving, brushing either side of the den's doorway.
Blue Willow smiled at his acceptance of her idea and began to plan it already in her mind. They would have to be a few months old at least and there would have to be adult supervision at least 2 members and what could they find she had some shells and shiny rocks in her den and she could start collecting feathers as the birds would begin to lose them soon and maybe even some pelts from rabbits or squirrels or maybe a squirrel tail, didn't young ones love them she had the bushy tail had given her much enjoyment. She would have to think of a prize though it would depend entirely on how old they were. She shook her head to clear her head vowing to think about this further at a later time.
Blue Willow settled to her haunches and then to her belly so she was nose to nose with Osprey Jr so as to not scare her and she chuffed gently and crooned. "Don't you have pretty eyes little one. Your father is going to have to watch you closely the boys will just be crazy for you. She was teasing Peregrine at the same time that she was speaking with his daughter though truth be told there was much truth in her comment all 4 of the pups were very good looking.
The Alpha male stood for a moment, then relaxed onto his haunches. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure he hadn't disturbed his resting family, then scooted forward another few feet. He nudged Osprey Jr., who was busily sniffing noses with Blue Willow. The Healer had lowered herself to the girl's level.
"Tch," he replied to Blue Willow's remark, meant more for him than the deaf puppy. "Although I'm sure they'll be crazy for all three of my girls, they won't be getting anywhere near any of them. I mean, think about it... there's me, of course, but then there's Kisu and Atti and Hawkeye and Osprey. And you," he added, grinning down at the medic. "And I bet Pura will be protective too," he mused.
It would be a long time before he needed to concern himself with such things and, for that, he was grateful. "Give me a break, though," he joked, "she's like two weeks old." He slid forward onto his belly to join the party, watching closely as his daughter interacted with the Healer but not interfering in any way.
Osprey Jr. seemed rather fascinated by the face looming in front of her. She stared for a while, then promptly latched onto Blue Willow's nose, her milk teeth sinking into the moist, cool, leathery flesh.
Blue Willow had seen Peregrine glance back at his family and she smiled a small smile, He was such a big softy, who put on a tough facade it made her laugh. It just meant he was a good man.
Blue Willow laughed quietly "Oh those males they don't have a chance do they and yes I will gladly protect any of your pups with everything I have in me Peregrine no need to worry about that. I have not formally met this Kisu yet, other than the tragic day and I did not wish to intrude on him then. She shook her head to chase away the ghosts and turned back too the little one smiling at her.
"Oh but they grow fast sir. She smiled at him as he nudged his daughter and joined their ground level party.
Blue Willow felt the sharp milk teeth jab her, but she just whined one time and tilted her one ear forward she did not wish to scare the girl, but she had to figure out how to break the girls latch on her nose. Her eyes were beginning to water. She spoke quietly "A little help Peregrine It seems your daughter has decided my nose makes a good chew toy.
As luck would have it, the movement of Blue Willow's mouth caused the puppy to startle and unlatch. She jerked away, eyes widening slightly, then made a strange noise low in her throat that sounded like the predecessor of a savage growl. A second later, one tiny paw came upward to bat at the Healer's nose, almost as if in indignation.
"Whoa there, little street fighter," Peregrine said, rising partially to his feet. He opened his jaws, then wrapped them around the pup's midriff and moved her a foot away from the medic before resettling. "She's got a 'tude, this one. I feel like she's probably going to be a handful." Despite the nature of his words, Peregrine smiled fondly at Osprey, who gazed up at him almost confusedly. "My little fireball," he concluded, touching noses with her so quickly that it left Osprey Jr. cross-eyed and slowly blinking.
Glancing at Blue Willow, he asked, "How's the ol' schnozzle? Think you have some herbal jelly you could put on it or something?" in a teasing voice.
Blue Willow laughed quietly though she wanted to throw her head back in mirth, but decided to try and keep it quiet as the rest of Peregrines little family were still sleeping.
Blue willow spoke teasingly "And you have no idea what so ever where that comes from now do you Peregrine. She chuckled again and licked her nose, now that the little snipes teeth were gone, it only stung a little bit. It was however a situation she did not wish to be in again.
Blue Willow dipped her head and laughed again, "Yes i have some healing jelly to put on the old schnozz but I think I should be fine, it's barely stinging now. Her little teeth are certainly sharp those milk teeth, makes me feel a little bad for poor Hawkeye over there.
"Her mother, of course," Peregrine replied, though he was pretty sure that wasn't what she'd been implying; she'd meant him. "Hawkeye's the perfect woman: feminine but strong. She's fierce. I know she'll raise the girls to be the same way," he said admiringly, just barely overcoming the urge to look over his shoulder at his sleeping wife and just gaze at her for days. That would probably make the Healer feel rather awkward.
"Me too. I can't imagine. We're already giving them a taste of meat. Man, regurgitating is the weirdest thing," Peregrine admonished. "I'd do anything for them, though, and that includes barfing up my breakfast. Ain't that right, Junior?" he murmured, nosing the puppy's round, fuzzy flank and earning a squeal for his efforts.
The Alpha male stretched, then rolled partially onto his left side, offering his free right foreleg to Osprey Jr. as a plaything. She pounced it and began to gnaw on him, which wasn't the most pleasant feeling the world, yet it was better than letting her tear off Blue Willow's nose. While the ferocious little girl chewed his leg, he made himself comfortable, his dusky eyes flicking up to Blue Willow's face.
"Maybe I'll take one of those stories after all. I'm kinda sleepy. If I conk out on you, just don't let the mini escape, all right?" He chuckled, then let his cheek drift to the ground. For the moment, his eyes remained open, watching as tiny Osprey continued to grapple with his swarthy limb.
got the story from here so it is not considered plagiarizing and what not.http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore09.html
Blue Willow rolled her eyes in mock irritation though it did not bother her really. She enjoyed the love that the two shone throughout, it was nice her parents had been much the same way.
blue Willow chuckled at his comment about regugitation "I imagine it is a bit odd but it is needed and I am sure you do it very well. she chuckled again and then dipped her muzzle and said quietly "A short story then. This is the story of how the fly saved the river. She began to speak quietly getting the whole story out would not be hard as it was one of the shortest stories she knew.
"Many, many years ago when the world was new, there was a beautiful river. Fish in great numbers lived in this river, and its water was so pure and sweet that all the animals came there to drink.
A giant moose heard about the river and he too came there to drink. But he was so big, and he drank so much, that soon the water began to sink lower and lower.
The beavers were worried. The water around their lodges was disappearing. Soon their homes would be destroyed.
The muskrats were worried, too. What would they do if the water vanished? How could they live?
The fish were very worried. The other animals could live on land if the water dried up, but they couldn't.
All the animals tried to think of a way to drive the moose from the river, but he was so big that they were too afraid to try. Even the bear was afraid of him.
At last the fly said he would try to drive the moose away. All the animals laughed and jeered. How could a tiny fly frighten a giant moose? The fly said nothing, but that day, as soon as the moose appeared, he went into action.
He landed on the moose's foreleg and bit sharply. The moose stamped his foot harder, and each time he stamped, the ground sank and the water rushed in to fill it up. Then the fly jumped about all over the moose, biting and biting and biting until the moose was in a frenzy. He dashed madly about the banks of the river, shaking his head, stamping his feet, snorting and blowing, but he couldn't get rid of that pesky fly. At last the moose fled from the river, and didn't come back.
The fly was very proud of his achievement, and boasted to the other animals, "Even the small can fight the strong if they use their brains to think."
So the moral of the story is that one maybe small but they can do big things if they use their brains.
Before long, his entire leg was coated in sticky drool, which was better than urine, at least. Peregrine's eyelids began to droop and he took a deep breath, letting them close. He didn't immediately fall asleep. Instead, he listened to the Healer's story and enjoyed the sensation of his daughter's warm, fuzzy body pressed against his leg.
Only when the pup tired of his forelimb and ambled over to rear up against his face did the Alpha male's eyes pop open again. He lifted his head a little, careful not to knock Osprey over, and stared directly into her vivid blue eyes. He fought the urge to smile at her, wondering if the sight of his teeth would frighten her. His tongue did snake out to tickle at her belly.
The pup's eyes crinkled and she blew a raspberry. She then tumbled back onto her haunches and leaned against his leg, the four shocks of white fur underneath her legs on full display as she sank down onto her back. Osprey Jr.'s eyes closed and soon her soft snores complemented the rhythm of Blue Willow's voice.
Still halfway listening to the story about the moose and other forest creatures, Peregrine rested his chin alongside his daughter and closed his eyes again, this time allowing himself to drift off to sleep.
Blue Willow stood softly and brushed a soft nuzzle across the pup's head and looking at her leader she spoke quietly "Sleep Well Perry. With that she backed out of the den as quiet as she could and continued onto to patrol the boundaries and hunt some game.
Her blue black coat showed shiny as she ran across the plateau intent and free on this lovely day.