Wolf RPG

Lasher had left, and a part of Fox left with him. They had their differences, sure, but she knew that this would tear Peregrine apart. And although she was a selfish creature, Peregrine's happiness was her own. She was torn, even now, as to whether or not they ever should have departed from the plateau. Fox knew that their course was set, especially since she would not be leaving the small space by the lake that had become her temporary residence. Redhawk Caldera was now her permanent residence, and she would not be going back on that decision.

That did not meant that she did not feel for Peregrine's loss, which was a loss for their budding pack as a whole. Fox's paw was feeling better, either by the witchcraft of Blue or simply due to the time that had passed. She was still careful with it, and didn't put her full weight on it unless she was sure she was on steady, level ground. Fox had a feeling that she would be back on her feet fully in the next few days, which was a relief. Her rib still hurt, but she could see no way to keep it from harm. That was going to be a months-long process, and she would just have to take it easy and be careful with her movements. There would be no cave diving for her (much to Finley's disappointment).

When Perry returned from whatever it was he'd been doing, Fox greeted him with a soft, “Hey,” and pushed her forehead into his chest.

He blamed no one but himself for Lasher's departure, but that didn't mean he wanted to go cry on Fox's shoulder. He found that idea repugnant, actually. After bidding Lasher goodbye, the swarthy male sought solitude. He didn't want to think, so he kept himself busy with patrolling and marking. Eventually, however, his thoughts and feelings caught up to him. Giving up on his tasks, he began the slow walk home.

"Hi," he said a bit weakly when he approached his mate. She still meant everything to him, as did their future here. However, it would've been a lie to say there wasn't some resentment burning beneath the surface for all the relationships he'd had to sacrifice for her. This translated into a strangely businesslike vibe when he asked, "Are you feeling all right? Can I get you anything?"

“My foot is healing quickly,” she replied, “More quickly than I expected.” Perhaps it was Blue Willow's remedies, or maybe her foot had not been injured as terribly as she had thought right after it had happened. “My rib is still bad. Really bad.” Fox only slept fitfully since they had arrived, waking up often and groaning as she turned over. But those were only physical wounds. Peregrine had lost a lover, Fox had lost a friend (quite some time ago), and she was certain that they had burned bridges left and right. Fox was used to this, but she knew Peregrine was not.

“How are you?” she asked, grey eyes meeting his own momentarily. She did not mean his physical wellbeing, either, for he looked as healthy as ever. No matter what happened, Fox knew that she would always belong to Peregrine. Just as he had done for her, she would do for him. If he had insisted that they stay at the plateau, or that they return once she was better, she would follow him. Their new home was supposed to be something that they both loved.

He bobbed his head mutely when she reported on her various injuries. He had taken a kick to the ribs just a few weeks ago but considering how quickly he'd healed, he doubted they'd actually been broken or even bruised. He hoped Fox would mend just as quickly, though she had taken a rather impressive fall.

"I wish there was something I could do to help. Are Willow's meds doing any good?" Peregrine replied, touching his nose to her forehead. "I'm fine," he lied in the next breath, not wanting to burden his invalid wife with his issues. It still felt peculiar to talk to her about Lasher anyway and he just didn't want to do it. "I don't really want to talk about it," he added just in case, his voice firm but apologetic.

"Hungry?" he inquired next.

Fox nodded when he asked about the plants Blue had given her. While she wasn't one hundred percent convinced that they were the cause for her quicker recovery, she hadn't gotten any terrible side effects thus far. Peregrine lied, and even Fox could see that as what it was. It was quite clear to her that he could not be "fine" after watching one of his other halves depart on less than savory terms. She furrowed her brow when he requested that they not speak of it and shook her head when he asked if she was hungry.

The young leader sighed, letting her gaze fall onto the lake. “I do hope this place hasn’t been poisoned by me,” she said, talking not of herbs or rotten meat. This was to be their home until their last breaths, and she wanted nothing more than to create happy memories here. She only wished that the journey had somehow mended her relationship with Lasher, but it had not happened.

"It hasn't," Peregrine replied simply. He didn't have the energy to get into the matter further than that, so he shot her a look that begged her to let the subject drop. "We're just off to a rocky start. It'll get better."

Since she wasn't hungry, Peregrine padded a few feet closer to the lake and then flopped down with a muted sigh. After shuffling around to make himself comfortable, his eyes lifted to Fox and he said, "Finley referred to our future pups as firebirds. It made me think we should call it Firebird Caldera instead. Not that the name really matters much to me." It was just something else to talk about besides his heartache.

Fox nodded, allowing the conversation to change gears. Mention of Finley caused her tail to tap on the ground a few times. The girl was one of Fox's favorites, and she was quite pleased that she had followed them here. That was one thing that reminded her that they'd made the right decision. Perhaps if Fox had not careened down the icy slope, they could have made it in a better way. They'd been forced to act more quickly than even she would have liked.

“Firebird Caldera,” she repeated, testing the name on her tongue. “That ain’t half bad.” And having Finley contribute to the cause might somehow make her feel more at home here (in case she wasn't already feeling it). Fox wasn't terribly concerned with their name, so long as Peregrine and the others were happy with it.

"If and when this pack grows, I think Finley would make a terrific Beta," Peregrine mused. "What do you think?" His eyes rolled upward to meet his mate's gaze again. "She came with us without batting an eyelash and she has the greatest attitude about it all," he murmured. Especially relatively speaking, a thought which prompted him to say, "We need to figure out how to address visitors from the plateau. I don't want to treat them the way I treat regular outsiders but I don't want them running all over the caldera either. I want to come up with a compromise. Thoughts?"

Fox paused, taking a moment to consider the idea of Finley leading alongside the Alpha pair. She would make a nice addition, and she was one of the few wolves who could stand both Peregrine and Fox (the latter being the main concern, considering how few could tolerate the fireball). “She’d be my first choice, too,” Fox replied. They still had time between now and when they needed another leader, but it was nice to have all their ducks in a row about it. Having somebody lined up would benefit them in the long run, Fox thought.

When Perry mentioned he wanted to arrange something with the plateau wolves, Fox's first instinct was to reject the idea. But, for once, she knew that it was something that Peregrine held close to his heart, and she resolved to think on it instead of spitting out her first opinion on the matter. What was she doing? Maturing? Fox was nearing her second year, so it was possible, after all.

Still, she wasn't quite sure what to suggest. Fox's brain was wired to think in black and white, so finding something between a pack-mate and an outsider felt... odd, to say the least. Fox certainly didn't want them wandering around the caldera unsupervised. “What if we restrict them to the base of the mountain,” she said, “provided they have an escort.” That would keep them away from the very heart of the territory, and somebody from the caldera would be with them.

Fox proposed a solution and Peregrine considered it a moment, then shook his head. "I know you're not a fan of allowing outsiders into the territory, even with a pack mate present, but that's what I'm going to ask you to do when it comes to plateau wolves. I want them to feel welcome to our domain, granted they have an escort at all times, preferably one of us. Do you think you can live with these terms?" He looked at her a bit expressionlessly, expecting her to protest but quietly hoping she would simply agree. He didn't have the heart to argue or even debate right now.

Fox pursed her lips. She felt like this was going to quickly spiral into a free-for-all where everybody was stomping on their grounds without her knowledge. "If it's one of us," she replied, "I can deal with that." She wondered if Peregrine had ever considered letting her roam around on the plateau when she'd been part of the creek. She realized, however, that he had done just that. He'd taken her in after Haunter's passing and kept her safe, even feeding her from the pack's caches.

"Now can we stop talking business and snuggle?" she asked, a faint smile tugging at her lips. If she propped herself against Peregrine a certain way, she found she could sleep more comfortably than if she had nothing to hold her in place.

He sighed quietly in relief when his mate accepted his terms, then managed a thin smile when she proposed they stop talking business and snuggle instead. Without answering, he shuffled closer to her and offered himself as a full body pillow against which she could make herself comfortable. Peregrine did his best not to move or otherwise jostle her, recalling all too well how painful injured ribs could be.

"It'll get better from here," he murmured to himself as much as to her as they cuddled close. He thought of Lasher's face and wanted to cry. Instead, he drew tighter against Fox, closed his eyes and lay still as he waited for sleep to take him.