Wolf RPG

In the days since finding the ridge and wordlessly selecting it as a candidate territory, Saena had done a lot of scouting. Scouting inevitably led her to thinking, and thinking to remorse, and remorse to planning. Before she knew it, she was well away from the ridge in the taiga, heading quickly along the backside of the Sunspire and expertly avoiding the signs of wolves along the way.

It took almost three days to make it around the range and into the far south, where she could see the Caldera on the near horizon. The closer she got to it, the slower she walked, and she stopped about four hundred feet from its nearest scent marker. Even without stepping up to the territory, the smell of wolves was heavy on the air, impossible to miss or mistake for anything else. She'd been raised with proper manners, so Saena stayed well away.

She did lurk for a while without drawing any attention to herself, trying to decide whether or not the trip had been stupid. For all she knew, Peregrine wouldn't care about an attempt to make amends. They were both pretty firmly removed from one another. Yet Junior's return to the plateau, however brief, and her departure had matured Saena in ways she didn't really notice herself; it felt like the right thing to do, even if she was hesitant, nervous, and still a little angry, deep down. At long last, she took a deep breath and howled for him.

Peregrine was just putting his daughters down for a nap when one of them—granted, neither of the two young ones curled sleepily at his paws—called for him. He jerked upward so swiftly that he cracked his head on the sloped ceiling toward the den's rear, then backpedaled while cursing under his breath. He almost squashed poor Nightjar, who had stumbled over to join his sisters in sleep. The Alpha gently nudged the boy toward Wildfire and Raven, then turned and exited the den. Luckily, it didn't take long to summon a sitter (we'll say it was @Elwood this time) so that he could heed the summons.

His head pounded with every footstep but Peregrine ignored it as he sped down the mountainside, then trotted on powerful black legs toward the border. "Saena!" he called out to her, tossing her a tentative smile... which turned into a look of horror when he noticed her tail, or lack thereof. "Holy shit," he cussed loudly, rapidly trotting to her side, "what happened?" Upon closer inspection, the injury was old—healed, really—so he doubted it was the reason she was here. Besides, why would Saena seek out Peregrine to tell him about her broke ass?

No, she must be here about Osprey or other news from the plateau, surely. He didn't want to assume anything—he always wanted to be careful around Saena, as he was terrified of making her blackball him even further—so instead he waited in inquisitive silence, letting her fill in the blanks.

Saena only had to wait a grand total or ten or fiften minutes before a familiar black figure was making its way toward her. She swallowed thickly, pushing down the old feeling of abandonment that threatened to crawl up her throat. The last thing she wanted to do after calling Peregrine down was give him a blast of her attitude. While there were several wolves who believed that she was incapable of anything but attitude, there were many more who knew her better, and in spite of the chasm between them, she intended for Peregrine to remain one of them.

Her brows creased when he called out to her, and at his shouted expletive, her ears pressed back nervously. She couldn't help casting a look over her shoulder. She didn't know why, but she half-expected to see some huge hulking bear behind her, something to explain Peregrine's concern, but all she saw was her artificial bob tail. It took her a full thirty seconds to realize that was what he was so worked up about.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, waving away any worry even as Peregrine pulled up alongside her. "Sacrificed it to get away from a mad dog," she explained concisely. If he needed details, then Saena could offer them, but she'd taken to telling the story in a single sentence to avoid retelling it too many times. It'd worked for her so far, although this time, she didn't joke about it being eaten. Somehow she didn't think Peregrine would find that as humorous as other wolves did, and he certainly wouldn't appreciate her finding it humorous (if only to stave off the disgust).

Saena was silent for a long while, even as Peregrine expectantly waited on her. It took her some time, but she swallowed again and then quietly said, "I came to apologize."

A dozen questions pressed against his lips, yet he bit them back, intuiting that Saena wasn't keen on discussing it much beyond her simple and blasé explanation. Peregrine's brow furrowed but he bobbed his head rather absently, only to fall still again at her next four words. They took him so by surprise that he had trouble processing them, much less guessing what perceived slight had prompted the apology.

After a long pause, he simply asked, "Apologize for what?" His jade eyes were heavy on her face. He wanted to reassure her that she didn't owe him an apology, yet he was curious about the circumstances behind her words. His tail swayed through the air, then he took a seat, showing Saena that she had his full and uninterrupted attention.

A breeze toyed with the longer fur on Saena's shoulders, momentarily distracting her from noticing any of Peregrine's expressions. When her attention returned, he was taking a seat. It was clear from his demeanour that he was expecting an explanation. Saena hadn't prepared for that—she'd mostly expected her father to understand what she was apologizing for—and so she chewed on her lip for one second, then sat down as well.

"For, well..." she trailed off, composed herself, and continued with, "for being a jerk for the last six months." Her interaction with Peregrine was nonexistent, yet in a way, shunning him had probably weighed on him. At least, Saena thought it must have. She would've been crushed, admittedly, to know that wasn't really the case at all, or to know that most of his pack mates didn't even know he had an older litter, but that wasn't something she would ever learn. "I thought you leaving the plateau was the worst decision in the world. I thought it meant you didn't love us anymore.

Now I know you had to." It certainly didn't excuse his disregard for his kids in making the decision, or what Saena believed was disregard, but she understood all the same. "And, well, I've left too. On better terms," she was quick to add in case there was concern, simultaneously reminding him that she hadn't followed in his footsteps in hastily excusing herself from the pack, "but there are just too many things happening that I can't agree with, and it was tearing me apart to stay there and keep my mouth shut. I'm hoping to start something for myself eventually."

He wanted to say a dozen things to her, yet Peregrine held his tongue, allowing Saena the opportunity to speak without interruption. He was glad that he didn't interject. Although he truly felt that she didn't owe him anything, he still felt a sense of relief to know she now understood and forgave him. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders. Peregrine barely had time to savor this new lightness of spirit, for Saena mentioned her own departure. It wasn't that surprising, considering her ambitions and history, yet all the same, he felt his heart go out to her.

"I don't think you owe me an apology," he said, "but I accept. And you should know I never stopped loving you, your sisters or your brother. I fucked up and mishandled things but that never changed." He paused, glancing into the distance before his eyes returned to his daughter's pale features. "Sometimes, leaving is what's best. And it's okay to be selfish sometimes too, as long as you do your best not to hurt others." That was where he'd bungled things, he knew, and it sounded like Saena had avoided making the same mistake.

"Start your own pack, you mean? Somewhere around here or...?" he wondered, feeling more heartened to ask her questions now that they were on more even, stable footing with one another.

She let him finish all he wanted to say, although following his reassurance that he still loved them, a question burned on her tongue. It was pressing, but not nearly as exciting as her plan to start a new pack. As quickly as he asked about it, she pushed the question to the back of her mouth, ready to be asked at a more opportune time.

"Yeah. Junior told me it'd be better to lead wolves who want to follow me rather than to try to force pricks like Koda at the plateau to show me some respect," she explained, forgetting entirely that she hadn't informed Peregrine of Koda's latest show of disrespect, "so that's what I'm going to do. Nowhere near here, though." She didn't sound the least bit apologetic about that because she wasn't. Her decision to go north was influenced as much by her desire to be far away from Redhawk Caldera and Fox (whom she hadn't seen in over half a year but still blamed for her family's state) as it was by her need to put space between herself and the plateau.

"I found a nice ridge to the north of the plateau, actually. There's a couple wolves there already who are interested." Although she tried to act modest about it, Saena was unable to keep a great deal of pride from her voice. She wasn't humble in the slightest. It was a huge accomplishment as far as she was concerned, and each success inflated her ego further.

"I wanted to ask," she began then, veering away from the topic of the pack as her pressing question came back to the forefront, "how come you came to visit Finley and Lasher, but never visited us? I talked to a guy from the Sunspire recently who said you were invited to visit Ty but hadn't been there either." Knowing that the accusation might sting him, Saena tried to make her tone light-hearted as she said, "what gives?" but it came out a little sharper than intended.

Saena didn't hold back, throwing a ton of information in his direction. Peregrine was happy that she shared so openly with him, though it was hard to focus because some of what she said triggered about two hundred questions in his mind. Had she spoken to Junior recently? Had Koda done something else to earn her ire? What had drawn her to this particular ridge? Before he could ask any of that, she arrested his train of thought with a direct question that caused all other subjects to fade to black under the harsh light of her interrogative, indigo eyes.

Peregrine sorted his thoughts for a few moments before answering. "I only came to visit Finley because she was my pack mate. She was injured and stuck, and I wanted to check on her myself. Lasher was the one who came to tell me about the situation at the caldera and I bit his head off, so I did call for him to apologize while I was here. I left the rest of the plateau wolves—including you and your brother and sister—alone because I knew everyone was still angry with me at the time. I didn't want to force my company on anybody. I thought you all needed your space. I know now that even if I wasn't mistaken, I should have made an effort. I'm sorry for that." He paused, then added, "I spent that night just beyond the plateau. No one came to see me. It just verified what I thought at the time: that nobody wanted to see me."

He wondered if Saena would be satisfied with that response, whether it would change anything. Peregrine also wondered about the answers to the previous questions still circling around in his head, yet he didn't ask just yet. He gave her a moment to process this information, then react. Hopefully, his honest answer would suffice and they could continue their prior conversation. Peregrine would like very much to catch up on all the goings-on on his daughter's life, every little detail she was willing to offer him.

Peregrine's explanation, though reasonable, did little to set aside Saena's feeling of abandonment. Maybe he felt he'd done the best he could for his family at the time, but he'd set into motion the undoing of most of their lives. They were in a better place now—Junior was Beta to a successful pack in the north, Tytonidae was living among those who accepted her oddities and absurdities, surely, and Saena was about to embark on a life-changing mission for herself—but she didn't feel it excused it.

She hadn't come to the plateau to blame him further, though, so she let the subject drop. "Okay," was all she said, simple and succinct, without a hint of passive-aggressiveness. There wasn't much else to say about it. She hadn't known he had slept just beyond the plateau that night, but even if she had, she wouldn't have gone to him. The blame was as much on herself as him, whether or not she was willing to accept or admit it.

"Anyway, I wanted to ask how you keep law and order in a pack," she said, abruptly changing topic yet again. "Part of the reason I left is because there was none there. Wolves were getting away with total disrespect toward superiors and, well... I couldn't run things that way, but I wasn't content to stay a subordinate." It was clear that Saena had the moral compass to lead a pack in a lawful manner, but some of what Osprey told her kept her from thinking that was all there was to it. A pack needed law and order, but it couldn't solely have that. It would be like a prison. It would be just as bad as having none whatsoever.

"How do you balance freedom with law? How do you decide when someone deserves punishment and when they don't? There were wolves at the plateau that wouldn't be there anymore if I led it, but Dante wasn't doing anything about them... so I left instead, but maybe that's the right way? How do you know you're doing it right?"

Whether it made much of a difference one way or the other, Saena accepted his response and moved on, asking him now about how to keep law and order in a pack. She explained that the plateau lacked it, which caused Peregrine's lips to twitch downward. He would have liked to see his daughter step up and restore order, yet it seemed Saena had decided that wasn't the path for her. He almost asked why, then he recollected what she'd said about collecting followers rather than inheriting them.

"The best way for you to have learned that would have been through example. I'm sorry the plateau's leadership didn't provide that for you and that I failed you in that regard as well. You would be welcome to shadow me here, if that kind of thing interested you. But basically you have to trust your good sense and your own judgment. You should listen to your instincts but weigh it consciously too. There really isn't a right or wrong way, though there are certain methods of leading that will gain respect and followers... and others that won't. You will have to find that balance for yourself, Saena.

But," he continued after a short pause, "that is the beauty of it. You can leader however you like, then decide if it works based on the success of your pack. A good leader still has room for improvement and you could spend your entire life trying to perfect the art. I do think it will come naturally to you, in time, and I envision you as a firm but gentle leader, who will reward hard work and have zero tolerance for those who don't know their place. I think you have the makings of a good queen, Saena."

And though he was certainly biased, Peregrine spoke the truth. He never would have guessed that the petite, premature runt left to him by the late Pied—and who was bullied through much of her early life—would one day prove to be the most ambitious of his offspring. And he didn't think Saena lusted after power. She had wanted to lead the plateau, her birthright, and circumstances had forced her to go in a different direction. She just wanted respect and the opportunity to prove herself.

"You remind me of my mother—your great grandmother—Mo," he told her. Had he already told her that? He couldn't remember but it was nevertheless true. Their personalities were different but they were the same hardened, enterprising and no nonsense she-wolves at heart.

"It's not your fault," Saena quickly told him, surprising even herself with the sincerity. It would be wrong of her to allow Peregrine to take the blame for not showing her the ropes when her dream of leading wasn't even a thing before his departure. The task fell to the plateau's current leaders. Saena had asked them for advice, but never to be shown. The blame was as much on her as it was on them, she know, though she wasn't willing to admit it to Peregrine. "I don't think Fox would let me shadow you here, though. No offence, but I'm not really her biggest fan, and I'm not sure she could be convinced that it's a good idea," Saena said, dismissing his offer, though it was tempting and that showed in the shine of her eye and the brief interested twitch of her ears.

Rather than hoping that he could persuade Fox somehow, she absorbed every word he said and stored it away for later consultation. From Peregrine's point of view, it seemed there was no right or wrong way to lead. There were things Saena knew to be good or bad—permitting rule-breaking was about as bad as having an iron fist—but otherwise, it had to do with judgment. It sounded simple. She knew it couldn't possibly be that easy, but just knowing that it was touch-and-go rather than strict adherence to a specific model lifted a weight right off her chest.

"Thanks," she said brightly. She was confident enough in herself to feel like Peregrine was right, even though a seed of worry always sat in her belly. If they were both wrong, then she would wind up alone, but it probably wouldn't be the end of the world.

When Peregrine compared her to her great grandmother, Saena couldn't help but frown. She had heard of March Owl, definitely, but she couldn't remember much about those stories. It had been far too long. "How?" Saena asked, followed by, "what would she do in my shoes?"

He did not refute her point, nor insist upon acceptance of his offer. It was made indefinitely anyway and she was always welcome to swing by for an open ear and advice if nothing else. Peregrine would be happy to offer her guidance and said as much: "You're still welcome to come by here if you ever need pointers or anything." He wanted to offer so much more but kept it simple and sweet.

She wondered what comparisons he had drawn between herself and March Owl. He smiled. "She became an Alpha as a yearling, despite the naysayers and despite a very rough upbringing. Her biological family abandoned her," he explained, "and she grew up tough as nails. She wouldn't take shit from anybody and didn't bat an eyelash about taking leadership at such a youthful age. She did very well for herself, beating all the odds. That's why I feel you're like her: you overcame adversity and now you're on your way to founding your own pack. That's no small feat. Mo would be proud of her great granddaughter's legacy.

And," Peregrine continued, when Saena might have thought him otherwise finished, "she would find your surname change quite agreeable. Mo was born a DeMonte but cast off the family name. She created her own, with her new family. That's where Redleaf comes from." And, of course, Saena had shed that name to create her own: Blacktail. Although it made Peregrine a bit sad, he really felt his adopted daughter was walking in her great grandmother's footsteps.

If what Peregrine said about March Owl was true, then the two were much the same. Unfortunately, the departure of Saena's family had done little to make her tough and instead had made her vengeful, but in time it could develop into toughness if nurtured. Saena batted her lashes at the prospect of taking anything for herself, not because she doubted herself but because she doubted others would let her. Though she'd changed much from the bullied girl she used to be, Saena could still be a pushover if the other party was determined enough to call her bluff. That would have to change, too.

She didn't dwell on it long, but chose to focus on March Owl's surname change instead. "It was Junior's idea," Saena pointed out, unsure if she'd mentioned that already or not. She couldn't take credit for such a novel idea as changing one's surname. It had been done before, apparently. "DeMonte sounds so regal," she noted. If not for her uncertainty about her own surname and how entitled she still was to it, she might've taken that one because of the ring it had to it. In a way, though, she didn't feel she deserved it, and thought it might offend her sister if she reverted back to the family name of wolves who left their children behind.

"I don't think I can have that surname anymore, either," Saena said. "Not because anyone said so," she quickly added, "but it just doesn't seem right to call myself Blacktail if it isn't even my pack anymore." She studied his face for a second, then said, "I met a guy whose last name was Bluenose, because he literally has a blue nose. Maybe I'll go literal too and call myself Redear or Redeye or Redtail or something." It would also hearken back to her real surname, Redleaf-DiSarinno, but she would likely never realize that.

"You were born there, though, and you grew up there. You could consider it homage to that," Peregrine pointed out to her, even though he had no strong preferences about Saena's surname (although he would have been thrilled if he took back his). It took him by surprise when she mentioned Luke and he couldn't help but blink and smile. "I know Luke. I like those options, although I'd say, hm... Indigoeye rather than Redeye. That has a nice ring to it. Out of those, though, I like Redtail best because it's not that different from Blacktail. Not that my opinion matters here. It's your name," he finished with a smile. He had been briefly tempted to suggest Redleaf, yet he wasn't going to push his luck.

"Saena," Peregrine said after a pause, his manner hopeful but hesitant, "would you want to meet your half sisters and brother, by any chance?" He knew Junior would have likely spat in his face for suggesting she want to meet her "replacements," yet he hoped his paler daughter would not share Junior's distaste, even if she didn't like their mother much. "There's no obligation, so I won't be offended if you decline. I just wanted to make the offer, since you're here."

She mulled over Peregrine's suggestion, then shook her head with a small, apologetic smile. Indigoeye was definitely more suitable than Redeye, but it sounded very bizarre. It didn't flow the way that some of the other ones she considered did. He agreed with Redtail, which ironically, was the exact name that Luke had suggested. It made a good fit, and even though she would miss being Saena Blacktail, it still had a little bit of home in it in a way.

Her decision about Peregrine's offer wasn't nearly as quick as her decision about not using Indigoeye as her surname, though. The idea of meeting her half-siblings caused her emotions to war in her chest. On the one hand, she wanted to remind Peregrine that this encounter didn't mean she was ready to accept him back into her life permanently, and they weren't her siblings in any sense anyway, but on the other hand, she knew it would make him happy. A few months ago, anything that made Peregrine happy, Saena would be opposed to, but she was growing up, and pleasing others was becoming something she enjoyed very much.

So, after a long pause where she chewed her lip and avoided his gaze, she said, "sure. It's not like I can blame them for anything." She felt it was true. Although they weren't her siblings and would probably never share a relationship with her beyond this initial meeting, and although they came from Fox, who was one of Saena's least favourite wolves, they were not at fault. It wasn't directly their fault that Saena's only remaining parent had left home, after all, and she secretly liked puppies enough to put aside her uncertainty about meeting them.

Saena took her time answering. Peregrine gave her that, all the while anticipating that she would pass up on his offer. Much to his surprise and delight, she decided she would like to meet them. His ears tilted back, his surprise clear, but his happiness even more evident. He swept immediately to his feet, eager to introduce his elder child to his younger ones.

"I'll take you to them," he announced, then added, "Or I'll take you close, then probably bring them to you. I'm so happy they get to meet one of their older siblings." His black tail fanned the air as he motioned for Saena to follow him. His heart felt light and skippy as he began to make his way into the caldera's interior.

"Hey," he said a bit abruptly a few minutes later, slowing and looking into her face. "Happy birthday, by the way." Peregrine wasn't actually certain whether he was early or late, though knew his children had been born right around this time last year. "I hope it was or is a good one. It's great that you get to celebrate it by giving yourself your very own pack," he remarked, smiling proudly, then faced forward again.

Saena followed Peregrine into Caldera territory. Even though she was accompanied by the Alpha male of the pack, nervousness dug a cold pit in her stomach. She couldn't shake the thought that Fox would materialize and tell her to beat it. She also worried about running into Finley; Saena's support to Junior's callous removal of the injured Caldera wolf from the Plateau's borders was well known among her peers. Her last interaction with the silver woman hadn't gone well, either.

Before she could convince herself further that this was a terrible idea and that she should go, her father wished her a happy birthday. It startled her right out of her thoughts. Sure, she'd known her birthday had been recent because of Junior's visit to the plateau, but it still shook her to know she was a full year old. "Thanks," she said unsteadily, then added, "it's good to be going somewhere in life." Maybe leading wasn't the goal for all wolves, but for her, it would soon become the most important step she'd ever taken.

"So, uh," Saena said as they walked, "how many are there?" Her interest in Fox's children was very limited, but still, they were family in a way and they were puppies, so feigning interest for now was a lot easier than she thought.

They walked along in a mutual if not entirely comfortable silence, until Saena piped up with a question. "Oh," Peregrine replied. In his excitement, he had forgotten to provide some of the necessary information up front. He smiled sheepishly. "There's three of them: Nightjar, a boy, and the girls, Wildfire and Raven. The latter looks just like Junior and Ty when they were little," he mused, the tenderness in his voice aimed not only at his youngest but his four eldest as well.

"Wait here," he instructed the yearling when they reached a small clearing about half a mile from the den. He then hastened toward the den site. How long had the pups been napping? It had been an hour, maybe a little more, he thought. When he stepped up to the door, he expected them to still be snoozing away. It was never a good idea to wake napping babes, yet he would if that's what it meant for Saena to meet them.

By a stroke of luck, they were awake, if still a little groggy. "Will you help me? I need to take them about half a mile from here. Their older sister is waiting to meet them," Peregrine said to @Elwood, scooping the closest pup (a yawning @Raven) toward the door and motioning for the rest of the party to follow. He then began the slow but thankfully short trek to where Saena waited for them.

"Saena, meet NJ, Wifi and Rave. Kids, this is your older sister, Saena. She's sort of a half-sister, since she only has half a tail," he joked, taking a step back to let the visitor interact with the pups. Seeing his grown child next to his babies warmed his heart. "Go on, Wifi, I swear she's nice," he said softly to the bashful middle child, who hung back slightly behind her siblings.

Well, they certainly had weird names. It was a bit of a trend in the Redleaf-DiSarinno family, though. Almost every wolf was named after a bird. She found it very bizarre and couldn't possibly think of enough birds to name all her family members, so naturally she found the names of Peregrine's children to be strange. Wildfire was the only one that differed, and even then, it wasn't the sort of name she'd expected for a wolf.

When she was asked to wait, she sat down neatly, but every moment alone in Caldera territory made her nervous. At any moment, Fox could've swept by and attacked her just for being there. The fact that Saena was a relative, albeit a reluctant and begrudging one, probably wouldn't have made any difference to the nightmarish version of the Alpha female in Saena's mind, who cared solely about herself. The real Fox might have proven her wrong, but the real Fox didn't appear.

Instead, Peregrine returned with a familiar face in tow. Saena's surprise at seeing Elwood was very conspicuous, but she didn't say much about their joint failure to secure an elk by the lake that day. It was irrelevant, and besides, there were puppies to focus on. She sunk down to her belly, splayed out her legs, but otherwise made no motion toward them, for they all seemed bashful in a way. They were all cute, but Saena's eyes lingered on the red female and the chocolate male the longest, for two very different reasons.

Wildfire looked very much like Fox and, very unfairly, all of Saena's hatred of the mother was subconsciously projected onto the youth. Wildfire was therefore her least favourite solely for being that colour. If she was conscious of this split second decision, Saena might've felt bad about it, knowing Wildfire had nothing to do with Fox's "crimes", but she wasn't.

Nightjar grabbed her attention simply because he looked different. Raven, the third pup, was just like Junior and Ty, exactly as Peregrine said. Wildfire's gene pool was also obvious. But Nightjar didn't resemble mother or father. "Is he the milkman's?" Saena asked, half joking and half concerned that Fox actually was a gigantic whore (because why not, she was also the devil in wolf's clothing, wasn't she?) and that Nightjar wasn't Peregrine's kid at all.

Wildfire insisted on slinking over to him and leaning against his leg, though her eyes remained fixed upon Saena. Peregrine shook his head, wondering at her shyness. But he was too distracted to worry about her for long. He tried to look at the pups through fresh eyes, to see what Saena saw. Wildfire looked just like Fox; Raven looked just like him; and Nightjar was like a blend.

Therefore, her remark caught him by surprise. He blinked, then chortled, taking no offense. "I feel like he's a mix of the two of us," he answered simply. Only then did his daughter's inference catch up to him. Of course, the Alpha male knew Fox would never stray (without his blessing). He had been tethered to his mate's side during her entire heat as well. Peregrine noted the implied condemnation of the pups' mother with an inward sigh.

"Hey," he said suddenly, something clearly having just occurred to him, "Wifi here seems pretty interested in the Naturalist field. Maybe you could tutor her sometime." Only as the words left his mouth did Peregrine wonder if that was totally wishful thinking. But Saena seemed to like the pups. She was here, right? And he had no idea about her hatred toward Fox's lookalike. "I think you'd be a great influence, anyway," he said, looking down at the top of his ginger child's head.

Though Peregrine's explanation had some merit, Saena was taken with the idea of Fox being a cheating whore on top of a completely selfish tyrant, so that was the version she silently decided to go with.

Her eyes swept over them again, and again lingered on the bashful Wildfire. Despite the initial surge of hatred that welled up for Fox's lookalike, the kid was damn cute, and that hatred was beginning to wash away ever so slightly. After all, Saena knew that Fox's past bullshit wasn't their fault. Maybe, just maybe, they would grow up to dislike their mother as well, and then they could all shit talk Fox until the sun set.

She swung her gaze back to Peregrine when he mentioned Wildfire was interested in Naturalism. Her eyes fell back to the small red girl, contemplative. On the one hand, tutoring her would give Saena some much-needed practice in her tertiary trade, something she'd been lacking lately. On the other hand, she would be lending skills to Fox's offspring, and probably gaining nothing in return. Saena wasn't much of a bargainer though, and wasn't typically out for her own gain alone, and so after a long pause, she said, "all right."

She wasn't sure about being a great influence what with her rocky history and occasional quick temper, but didn't say anything about it. "Once I'm settled wherever I decide to settle, I'll swing by with a lesson or two. Something cool, of course. I'll call for you beyond the borders when I arrive for that." She glanced back at her father, trying her best to call up her past adoration and love for him and failing (but succeeding at a smile that wasn't frigid for once). "That work for you?"

She seemed to need a moment to decide, which he was happy to give her. In the meantime, Wildfire slipped away from him, toward a squatting Raven. Peregrine clucked his tongue, keeping an eye on them until Saena's, "All right," drew his attention back to her. Like her presence here, her acceptance was slightly unexpected but obviously quite welcome.

"Yes, of course," he answered, returning her smile without any of the effort hers required. "Come by whenever it's most convenient for you. And good luck, Saena. You'll be a great leader, despite all the adversity you've faced in your life... or maybe because of it?" he added with an optimistic inflection and an accompanying raise of his brow.

It seemed the yearling would be off soon, so Peregrine motioned for Elwood to corral the puppies. "I'll be right behind you," he said to the Beta, then he offered a stern, "Stay close to Uncle El and do what he says," for the children. Fortunately, they were more or less cooperative and lined up like a row of ducklings behind Elwood, toddling away toward home.

Turning back to face Saena again, Peregrine found himself wishing she didn't have to leave. What if everyone had come here to live with them: the kids, his sister, Blue Willow...? But, of course, Fox wouldn't have liked that. He didn't really think of that now. He just let himself steep in the fantasy of one big, happy family for a moment.

"I know you have lots of important things to do, so I'll let you go. It was good to see you and I look forward to your next visit and hearing all about your brand spankin' new pack." Peregrine bobbed his head, his final words of parting a befitting dad joke: "And I'm sure I don't have to tell you not to half-ass it."

The pups were cooperative, Saena could give them that. When commanded to rank up with Elwood, they did it without complaint. She didn't remember her or her siblings being like that at all. Maybe Pura and Tytonidae, but Saena and Osprey Jr. were always too busy getting on each other's nerves, usually unintentionally in Saena's case, to have been so obedient. She watched them go with interest for a moment, then turned back to Peregrine.

All things considering, she was surprised there was no hostility in her heart. She might not know them, and she might not like the red one, but she knew she would protect them as readily as she would Blue Willow's if she was around and harm befell them, not that it would ever happen. They were much too distant.

"Thanks... dad," she said reluctantly. She wasn't about to fully welcome Peregrine back into the fold of her life. For better or worse, they were too far apart to consider each other family anymore. However, it made her feel better to just say it, and she reckoned it would make him feel better, too. "I never half ass anything," she said with a hesitant grin. She might've had the look, but she really did try hard most of the time. "I'll be back soon. See you later." And with that, she was loping down the slope with the feeling that a weight had lifted off her back and tentative plans to actually do some good in her half-siblings' lives to offset the horrid influence of Fox.