peregrine continued to improve. he was up and about most days, now, helping the moonwolves with their hunting and border-tending, mostly. he restocked the herb piles and sorted preyskins, fished in the lake and spoke nonchalantly with those he recognized.
he was starting to like it here! it was a weird feeling, to stay in one place for as long as this. he could not remember the last time he did so. every now and again, he thought of visiting his father, or perhaps his family out in the copse — but why should he?
and there was eye candy galore here, which pleased the boy greatly — he stole passing glances of @Aiolos, the tall bourbon-pelted man; he thought often of ajei, the cinnamon girl he'd met by the lake; and he quite liked to think of what it'd be like to be sandwiched between @Chickadee and @Kivaluk. and then there was the other new girl, @Galana; she, too, intrigued him! ah, so many choices to daydream about, which he did often when he was not working.
today, he is busying himself with carrying a freshly-caught beaver back to his camp. he thought perhaps he'd offer the pelt to moonwoman as a gift of thanks — all he has to do is figure out how to skin an animal.

speak — or think — of the devil, a flare of cinnamon passes through his periphery, paired with a honeyed voice.
ah, galana, the pretty redhead! he slows so that she may catch up, a half-smile gracing his slender face. but, as soon as he speaks, the suaveness is immediately obstructed by the fact that fur and meat block his tongue from forming proper words.
thanhh' hyouh', he mumbles, realizing his error a bit too late before he actually drops his kill to the forest floor. he gets a good look at her properly now, recollecting himself; already he was being embarrassing. because of course he was. galana, right?

the one and only, he follows up his rather corny statement with an equally as corny toothy little grin, watching as she takes a seat beside him and eagerly entertains his presence. there must be something in the air in moonglow; why was everybody so... nice?
not that he was going to complain.
he mirrors her by taking his own seat beside her, drawing his gaze upward to meet her own. he offers her the beaver with a gentle nudge. he could always hunt another one. so far so good, he shrugs. it's starting to feel more like home already. are you from here? or are you a stray, like me?
he'd probably punch himself if he knew he was casually chatting up the daughter of the literal, actual leaders.

both? peregrine listens with piqued curiosity, having planned previously only to sit and ogle the girl; but now she truly intrigued him with her tale. aiolos and sakhmet, one name he knew, the other a stranger; and then she had been — taken.
i was kinda taken, too, his face softens, twisting into something unreadable. i was raised by — well. they weren't my parents, not really. they were cool, though, and now they were both gone. his stomach tangles itself into a knot. life didn't exactly do right by any of us. and now i'm here.
i got kicked by a bison hoof, he begins to draw little shapes in the dirt as he speaks, gaze flickering between the pretty silversmoke eyes and the half-thawed earth. and then -- your mom took me in. so i've been chillin' here since then, i guess, the smile returns for a moment; he notices the doe-eyed look she gives him, and he feels a flutter in his veins. the stars fall where they may, huh?

you're right.
and she was. it did make peregrine appreciate moonglow's acceptance of him more, and it made him feel even more constricting, heavy guilt. and he thought she knew it too, based on the knit to her auburn brows. he breathes out a sigh of contentment, one forepaw inching closer to hers as if to silently commiserate.
yeah, i'm here to stay, he'd decided it long ago, but he was especially sure of it now. i mean, it's not like i have anywhere else to go. do, um, do you? plan on staying? the tangerine eyes twinkle with a glow that says please say yes.

a friend, huh? peregrine teases, a lift to his lip in a playful, sly sort of half-smile. i could really use one too.
somewhere inside of him he wondered if perhaps she was too good for him to think of her as anything more. but he could not help himself as he watches her eat, a soft, glowing warmth settling over his shoulders and upon his face.
i'd love to do that with you, his ears pin as he thinks of how desperate that must have sounded. i mean-- well, you know what i mean. it'd be fun. could make myself useful and act as your bodyguard.
his jaws split in a yawn as he settles down beside her, letting the silence stretch like a soft blanket atop them. it wasn't clumsy or awkward like he typically felt such a thing was — he, too, felt that ease, and perhaps it was mirrored in her own contentment. they shared space. he made sure she was finished before he took any food from her, perfectly satisfied with only bones if it meant her belly was full.
the birdcalls echo in the trees as he passes her a silent, appreciative grin.