Wolf RPG

He'd left the plateau seeking prey, and as he passed the Firestone hot springs had caught wind of a trail. Following it, he didn't realize how far he'd come until he hit the shores of a lake. With a jolt he realized he was rather further from home, and rather closer to Perry's lands, than he had intended to come.

Frowning he approached the lake's edge, dipping his head to drink his fill before heading back the way he'd come. No catch was worth earning the Caldera's ire, as last he had been there he had been told very plainly to keep away. Not doing so would be more than trespassing. It would be questioning Peregrine's authority, a move the greyscale male didn't want to make. He still respected his former alpha despite his decision that never again would he be a subordinate in a pack led by him. Perry was a great leader. They couldn't afford to upset the tentative balance their two packs had struck.

After spending three entire days and nights away from her, Peregrine never wanted to leave Fox's side again, much less wander beyond the caldera. Eventually, though, he peeled himself away from his tiny mate's flank. Its roundness reminded him that, more than ever, she needed plenty of fresh meat. Kissing her forehead, he promised to be back as quickly as he could and quit the den, then the territory, in search of prey.

His tracking brought him near the shore of Big Salmon Lake. Maybe seafood would make a good meal. Didn't fish have all sorts of special vitamins and minerals? Peregrine loped toward the water, wondering if he would even find any fish. Didn't they hibernate or something? Where did they go if the water froze? Luckily, the lake wasn't frozen, but...

He suddenly noticed the figure trotting away from the shore. "Dante?" he called out before he realized what he was doing.

Well, crap. Having quenched his thirst, he was just about to pick it up into the steady lope he would hold on his way back to the Plateau when Peregrine's questioning hail was sent. Stopping, he turned, wondering briefly if he shouldnt have just kept going. Rude it may have been, but he had no idea what sort of ground he and the swarthy alpha stood on. He might be about to find out.

"Hey." He called back uncertainly, going no further but also coming no closer. "Look... sorry. Lost track of where I was. I was just heading back." He said uncertainly, glancing briefly over his shoulder at the direction he had been heading. Peregrine didn't seem angry at his proximity but he still felt the need to make it clear that he hadn't intentionally come so close.

Dante turned back. Even from this distance, Peregrine thought he saw uncertainty flash across the silver male's face. That was no surprise. The last time they'd spoken, they had had words, after all. The Alpha wished that Dante had just spat out the truth that day; it would have saved them both a lot of trouble. At least Blue Willow had finally shed some light on the matter, and it was from that point on that Peregrine's distaste for the plateau's new leader had dissolved.

"You're fine. We're nowhere near the caldera," the swarthy wolf said as he closed the gap. "Hey, I'm glad I caught you. I think we could clear the air. Blue Willow told me the real reason behind your decision. It helped me to understand your position much better. You were just looking out for Junior. As her dad, I actually... appreciate that. I wish you didn't have to protect my own daughter from me but, well, that's my own fault." He stopped, perhaps ten feet from Dante. "Truce, maybe?"

Still Peregrine gave no hints that he was displeased at Dante's presence, so he relaxed some as he listened to him speak. It was with great relief that he heard no grudge was held any longer, and though he still wasnt sure Blue had done the right thing, he was glad for the result. "I am glad to hear it." He said with feeling, though no smile appeared yet. "I did not feel it was my place to tell despite the situation." One of the times where counselor and alpha had clashed, though counselor had won out in the end. He just couldn't feel right disclosing a matter so personal when he was not the one who was involved. He wasn't sure Peregrine was as happy about his secret keeping, but it was a decision he would stand by as the right one.

"I am more than willing to truce," he said, this time smiling. "It was hard, walking away and leaving things as we did last time." He had counted Peregrine a good friend in his time at the Plateau and breaking that friendship had caused a lot of grief. "Do-over then? Put all the shittyness behind us?" It was a confirmation he hoped for, and though he thought that the gist of Peregrine's former words, still he waited nervously for the answer.

"I understand you were between a rock and a hard place," he reassured Dante, showing him that there was no ill will or resentment over the matter. "Truly," he added, sensing Dante's anxiousness. "It's difficult to find the balance between the wolves in your life... especially in the capacity of a leader."

Peregrine bobbed his head. "It's water under the bridge," he confirmed simply. "I'll still give the plateau a wide berth. It seems most of your members manage to find their way out to me anyway, so there's no need." His lips twitched as he thought of all the recent visitors. Somewhere in there, he had gone from vowing to avoid them all... to, well, this very moment. "I've spoken to Pura and even Saena recently, although the latter definitely didn't mean to run into me. I've also spoken to Osprey and Lasher. I've heard all about the pups.

Something I haven't really asked anyone else about is Junior. I hope you don't mind me asking now. What is the situation these days? I know Pura and Saena are safe at the plateau and a messenger told me Ty's staying at the Sunspire. Junior's the wildcard in my head, though. Did she recover? I'm under the impression she went wandering again...?"

"I appreciate it." And he truly did. Peregrine didn't need to be understanding about it, but he was, and Dante felt most of his tension fall away at that admittance. "I'm beginning to learn that," he responded with a small smile on the topic of balance. There were many things he was growing to love about leadership, but also many things he knew he would never be fully comfortable with. "It is good to hear that many have visited, I am glad." He had stressed the fact that they were free to do so and was happy to hear they were taking advantage of it. He was extremely surprised to hear that Saena had visited, but refrained from making special mention of it. Any issues that may or may not be resolved there was between father and daughter, not within his jurisdiction as Alpha. His only concern was with her safety and well being, and he did not see Peregrine as any sort of threat to that on neutral ground, whether or not she agreed.

"Both have grown a lot, and continue to surprise me." Though he felt they still had some growing to do, he was impressed with how far they had come in the past month or two. Saena especially. As a pup, he never would have guessed she would have turned out the way she had.

Then conversation, of course, turned to his other children, and Junior was the topic of choice. He nodded at Peregrine's suggestion that she went wandering. "She did leave, without any word or indication. She... was not fully recovered. We searched, but found no trace. Apparently she did not wish to tell anyone of her plans. She wasn't exactly happy with us at the time." But in this, Dante could feel no guilt. He did not see himself as doing her wrong, her departure without informing anyone an immature overreaction in his eyes. "For her actions against Blue's and my own wishes in kicking Finley out of our lands, I felt some sort of punishment necessary. So I proposed that she would occupy a low rank until the time came that Blue Willow and I felt she deserved raising. She did not take it well." If anyone would understand that, he felt Peregrine should, though again it was hard to tell how the father would react. "She is capable, though, and Blue's healing had taken some effect. I do not worry too much for her safety." There was nothing he could do for her now anyway.

Peregrine felt as if he'd swallowed a block of ice as Dante fully disclosed Junior's situation. The silver Alpha didn't seem overly perturbed but the same could not be said for the girl's father. His face slowly drew into an expression of mild distress. She had evidently disappeared before fully recovering and the timing really couldn't have been worse, what with it being winter. Peregrine looked at Dante's face searchingly. He knew much more about the situation, yet truly seemed hopeful that Junior was okay, wherever she was. A war waged inside his head and heart; should he follow Dante's lead or did his fatherly instincts make him more sensitive to the reality of it?

Then he realized: none of it mattered. There was nothing he could do for Junior and she wouldn't have let him anyway. Peregrine seemed to sag a little as the realization came over him. He let out a long breath. He looked at his forepaws for a moment, then lifted his jade gaze to Dante's again. He managed a weak smile, though this conversation had definitely not gone in the direction he'd hoped. He hadn't realized it consciously but he had benched on hearing that Junior had healed, then resumed chasing her typical wanderlust... not that she'd been sick and disappeared into the ether.

"Junior's survived so much. And she's impulsive and flighty too. I bet she decided there wasn't a future here, or that she was angry enough to lose her head about it. I mean, she..." She did try to kill herself, after all, he added silently. She probably wasn't entirely stable, though it wasn't her fault alone. Peregrine's ear twisted backward and one side of his mouth drooped. "I bet she took off and found better fortune somewhere else. I hope so, anyway. And I'll never stop hoping when it comes to my kids. She died on me once already, so I'll also bet on the odds of that happening again being very small," he quipped dryly.

"Thank you for telling me this," he added after a pause. He took a breath, pondering where to turn the conversation next, and words came springing off his tongue before he could think too much on it. "On the subject of my girls... Saena mentioned that there was a hunt and she was injured. Has Willow been looking after her? I didn't want to get too nosy. And did you do anything about the piece of shit that yelled at her?" he wondered, bristling as he thought of Koda belittling the young Gamekeeper, fruit of his heart if not his loins.

It really spoke of a change of character that Dante was not more concerned. He was not the same wolf who had stressed completely out over Atticus' disappearance. It had taken some time, but he had grown to know that there were things he could not control. He would do his best to lead, but he could not keep all happy. Many had left, disappearing into the ether, and though he was sad about that fact there was only so much he could do.

"You are probably right." He couldn't understand a father's hopes, but likely it was similar to his own regarding his siblings. The love of family kind of required a hope for happiness.

"You will be the first to know should we hear word though. That I can promise." Junior was no longer one of his, so keeping things for her from her father was no longer a concern of his. Perry deserved to know.

Koda's situation was... difficult at best, and honestly Dante wasn't much in the mood to discuss it with the other leader, knowing that Peregrine likely had opinions on what should be done. He had decided that, unless it was a real issue, Saena could handle herself. He was obviously the only one in the pack who felt that way, and Dante didn't feel right punishing him for an opinion. Unless he acted on his feelings and refused to cow to leadership, he'd let it go. He was no tyrant.

"She's kept an eye on her, yes. As have I. But once Saena decides to keep going, there's really no stopping her." He would have much rather had her stick closer to home, but he couldn't very well force her. She was smart enough, he hoped, to know her limits. "As far as Koda goes, Blue made it clear to her he is alone in his opinion."

Dante explained how he and Blue Willow were handling the situation and Peregrine listened, bobbing his head to acknowledge the information. "I never would have expected behavior like that from Koda," he said. He recollected recruiting the male into the plateau's ranks not long before departing with Fox. "I'm glad Willow made that point. I would never tolerate that shit at the caldera, though to each his own, of course. I don't mean to criticize your leadership," he added sincerely, even though he secretly did judge them for not tossing that misogynistic piece of shit out on his ass. He was self-aware enough to know he was biased on the matter, though.

"I should probably head back to the caldera soon," Peregrine said. He didn't mean to be rude, nor was he concluding the conversation due to their differences regarding Koda. While they had reached a truce, they were not close friends and the swarthy Alpha didn't feel the need to hang around and make conversation or, worse, small talk. Besides, he was itching to get back to his pregnant mate (he didn't realize he'd failed to mention that). "It was really good to touch base with you today, Dante. And I truly appreciate you keeping an eye on my girls. Is there anything else before I go?"

"Nor would I have expected it." That Peregrine kept his true judgements to himself spared them from souring the encounter, and had Dante known, he would have been glad for it. The only input he would take on the matter would come from Lasher and Blue Willow, for they were in a position to challenge him on his actions. Saena, however, he would hear out as well, for she was directly involved and had the right to a voice, no matter how biased it may be. "I know you don't." Peregrine was a father voicing thoughts on a child, thoughts that were somewhat pointed, yes, but could be easily brushed off.

"I should be heading back also, it's quite a trip. It was good catching up though." He had sincerely enjoyed it and it was a load off knowing that his former Alpha held no ill will towards him, despite everything. It was more for the sake of his pack that he was relieved, for Peregrine's displeasure, he was surprised to find, had ceased at some point to hold much sway over him personally. "Nothing but that I wish you the best, and give Fox the same."

He thought about giving a message for Finley as well, but decided against it. Surprisingly, of all the wolves to depart for the Caldera that day, she had been the one Dante counted closest to a friend. He had thought at one time perhaps Peregrine would become a close friend, but circumstance (and, honestly, differences) had stood in the way of that. Somehow sending a message through Peregrine didn't seem like the way to go. Perhaps they'd run into each other again someday. So, only waiting a moment to catch any final words Perry might give, he departed without another word.