Blacktail Deer Plateau i'll see what tomorrow brings

@Blue Willow

I tried to powerplay only a teeny bit but if anything needs changed let me know and I'll gladly edit. I figured I'd tag you first so you can reply and then I'll tag Kat/Peregrine. :3

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The journey to Blacktail Deer Plateau was made in about roughly two days, time tucked out of their journey for hunting and sleeping of course. It was during this alone time with Blue Willow that Ragnar filled her in on what had happened with Horizon Ridge recently, covering everything from the landslide, to Aklhut’s disappearance and Pump’s rise to power. Really, it wasn’t much news but it was pretty big, nevertheless and the change in leadership might change things. Up to that point, as far as Ragnar was aware at any rate, no one else was aware of the landslide that had scarred half of their lands and made part of them impassable and inhabitable; and while Blue Willow slept he kept watch, stealing shut eye when she went off to hunt for herself or collect her flowers or whatever it was she was doing. He had learned that she was a healer on the Plateau and couldn’t help but think that maybe, someday, Thistle and Blue Willow should meet to exchange knowledge or trade secrets or whatever it was healers did when they came across another healer.

Ragnar missed Thistle he realized. There hollow feeling radiating within his chest as if something vital had been left behind at the Ridge. He missed her restless shuffling at night, he missed the saccharine scent that lingered upon her fur - the sweet scent of her mother’s milk that her body was producing in preparation of the babes she carried coming into the world. It would be soon now, he knew and he did not wish to prolong this trip. He did not want to miss the birth of his children even if they belonged to Crete by blood. He had never had any rights to them - you didn’t get rights to having procreating with a young and innocent female obviously in her first season of heat and then leaving as if it had never happened.

Ragnar glimpsed at Blue Willow as their pace slowed, the scent of the Plateau’s borders alerting the Viking to their approach, causing him to draw to a stop a respectful distance away as his icy, oceanic eyes took in the view before him before he looked, once more, to Blue Willow. “This is it?” Of course it was more of a rhetorical question than an actual one, the borders smelled like Blue Willow and like the musk of Crete that had clung to Thistle’s fur the night that he had accurately guessed what had transpired.

It had been some time since Blue had traveled with another wolf. She found that she had to adjust to it again. The male Ragnar was quiet most of the time. He did explain to her what had happened at the ridge and it was rather sad. She was glad that his mate was able to care for everyone and that he did not get too hurt. Though her heart hurt for them all the same. She looked at him and nodded. "Yes this is my home. Peregrine is the leader and Crete's brother as I said so it is he who you probably want to howl for. She smiled and then sat down on her borders with a look in her eyes of trepidation. She wasn't sure how this would go she wasn't worried about herself she had done nothing wrong, but she did not know how Peregrine would take this and if he would take some of his hurt and anger out on the other male. And Ragnar did not seem like the type to take anything lying down so she was deeply worried simply for that.

Attn. @Peregrine

For once, Ragnar thought in a lazy almost ironically amused manner, he was not at the borders of another pack with ill intentions upon his mind - not that for what is was worth he saw raiding as ill intentions it was merely a way of life for him. He was not here to cause strife, did not come expecting anything from these wolves. No, it was nothing like that. As their closest neighbors it was time someone explained to them the changes upon the Ridge in case it led to changes on whatever past pacts or grievances the Plateau had held against the Ridge; he didn’t know and frankly didn’t care much he was used to operating without alliances and found them to be of little use. And to inform them of Crete, what their mute had done and that there was a possibility that the children Thistle cradled within her womb were bound to them by blood. The task fell upon Ragnar since it seemed Crete had not been seen after his tryst with Thistle. Blue Willow responded to Ragnar’s rhetorical question before adding that a male named Peregrine was Crete’s brother and Alpha Male of this Plateau and that, our of small group of siblings Crete had, was likely the one that Ragnar should seek to speak too.

“Very well,” The Viking drew, though he did not call for Peregrine right away, instead giving a pause to study Blue Willow who was giving off nervous vibes that ruffled the savage’s scruff fur with unease that he shook off. What did it say about their male leader that Blue Willow seemed to feel so nervous about? Maybe it was the whole situation that bothered her period. Ragnar found that he didn’t, in any semblance of truth, care. He was here to let these wolves know that they may have nephews and nieces but that even if they were Crete’s by blood that Ragnar would be the only father they knew. It was only fair, given that Ragnar was Thistle’s by the declaration of the Gods.

Thistle’s fear of them wanting to take the babes from her drifted into the Viking’s mind for a few seconds before the savage decided that was unfair to assume. There was always the chance that they wouldn’t simply care - after all what were the babes to them? Ragnar, at the time, hadn’t thought to remind Thistle of that when he had comforted her, attempting to ease her worrying - which he held a suspicion he had probably failed at, anyway. He missed his fawn colored shield maiden, his tiny Viking and no longer wished to prolong this meeting. The sooner it was over with, the sooner he could return to his family. Without any further ado Ragnar’s muzzle tilted back as he let out a call for the one Blue Willow called Peregrine, waiting with stoic patience for Crete’s brother to appear, wondering if he would come at all.

Blue Willow felt her traveling companion studying her and that was fine. He could probably feel her nervous energy. However, it was nothing that would matter for him she just looked at him and spoke quietly to explain a little "I just feel bad at this situation. She left it vague she wasn't about to tell him she worried how Peregrine would take it or anything. She would not betray her leader that way and to her that was what it was if she were to talk about him behind his back. Not to mention he was her friend. Blue Willow's ears swiveled as he lifted his nose to howl and she shifted and turned her head to watch for the familiar figure of her leader and friend. She hadn't told him where she was going hoping to find Crete for him and Osprey she hoped he understood. She had not been beta when she had made the decision to hunt down Crete.

The pups were just about a month old now and, soon enough, they would begin accompanying the adults on jaunts around the territory. Peregrine was even tempted to let Ty and O.J. tag along today, though an inexplicable intuition made him decide against it. He kissed their heads, as well as the other pups', then bade Hawkeye and Kisu farewell as he headed out to hunt. The Alpha male had a growing family and he was spending more and more time on the game trail lately in an effort to keep them well-fed.

A howl interrupted his hunt before he could even get started. Vaguely annoyed, Peregrine made his way to the borders to find a pale stranger standing astride his own Beta female. Peregrine paused, peering at this scene with a stern, apprehensive look on his face, then traipsed closer to the pair.

"What's going on, Blue Willow?" he asked, addressing his direct subordinate even as his eyes fastened on the stranger with platinum fur, Caribbean eyes and subtle scars marking his muscular body. The longer Peregrine looked, the tenser he became.

I'll answer first if that's okay since I was asked directly and I can delete if I have too.

Blue Willow looked at her leader and dipped her head in respect averting her eyes. She spoke quickly but without fear. I was looking for Crete for you and Osprey. I followed his scent to Ravensblood forest and there I caught the scent of another wolf with his and I lost his so I followed the other wolf's and found Horizon Ridge's borders. I called for a warden to ask about Crete thinking perhaps he had joined another pack or something and this fellow Ragnar met me. He has information for you about Crete. That i thought she be better heard from him than me. She then looked to the brute who had followed her to her home. She shifted her feet wanting to stand beside Peregrine which was where her loyalty lied, but she stood in the spot she was in.

It's fine. :3

“Don’t be, it is not your fault,” Ragnar attempted to reassure her unable to help the feeling like he’d been doing that a lot lately. Maybe females just fretted by nature.

It was pleasing to the Viking that it did not take the male that he promptly assumed as Peregrine to appear and because Ragnar liked to practice what he preached showed the proper amount of submission to the Plateau’s Alpha Male, acknowledging his superiority in this situation - just as Ragnar expected when it was he answering calls at the Ridge’s own borders. Peregrine addressed Blue Willow, which was rather expected given it was she who was his pack mate, not Ragnar, but Blue Willow had not wanted to pass the message - it was the whole reason Ragnar was there. To pass the message of what Crete had done, to let Peregrine know that he was to - likely - be an uncle by blood on the off chance that he would believe Ragnar or even remotely care.

“I am Ragnar, Warden of Horizon Ridge,” He introduced himself, soft voice thickly accented, sparing a quick glimpse at Blue Willow before he looked back, gaze lowered, towards Peregrine. “A few days ago, as she stated, Blue Willow came to our borders inquiring about one of yours, Crete. I told her that I have not seen him - which is true - I have never met him,” Which was likely a very good thing for the mute, admittedly. “She followed his scent which had clung to my wife that led her to the Ridge in the first place. She …my wife is young, very innocent. It was her first heat season and she told me that she,” Ragnar paused, bewildered as to why these words were suddenly so hard to form, why they stabbed at him like thousands of tiny knives. “that she and him copulated in Ravensblood Forest. It wasn’t something she lied to me about because his scent was all over her. According to her it was consented on both sides but she was positive it would not lead to children,” Ragnar told Peregrine, as if any more proof was needed as to just how innocent Thistle had first been on the act of intimacy.

“She is pregnant, and while there is a chance they are mine by blood I was not her first and realistically his seed had already taken,” Ragnar inhaled and exhaled deeply. “I just thought it was something, as his Alpha and brother, Blue Willow tells me, you should know.” At that the Viking fell silent, waiting for whatever reaction might come from the Plateau leader.

Peregrine became as tense as a coiled steel spring when his brother's name came up. He listened to Blue Willow, then his attention riveted upon their guest. He had a feeling he wouldn't like this news. His stomach tied itself into knots, yet he maintained an expression of equanimity as the male, Ragnar, spoke.

A few beats of silence followed his speech, during which Peregrine heard only the pounding of blood in his ears. Finally, he said, "That explains a lot," in a rather brittle tone. "He bred with a mated female of another pack—against either leaders' knowledge, I'm sure, seeing as I'm one of them—and then ran off without a word." It wasn't a question but a statement. His teeth ground together audibly. Although he wondered how the she-wolf could be so stupid, all his vitriol was directed solely at Crete. My brother is a total piece of shit. Did I know him at all?

"Crete no longer lives here," Peregrine said coolly after a moment. "If he is the father, those pups have nothing to do with our family or the plateau anymore," he said. "And, well, it sounds like your problem now." Whether he was speaking because he was simply bitter or because he felt sorry for Ragnar, it wasn't clear. He frowned at the male, though it was probably evident to both him and Blue Willow for whom that frown was really meant.

Blue Willow looked at Peregrine and could just imagine what he was going through and she felt bad, but something had to be known. At least in a sense he had the closure he needed, though it was not the one anyone wanted. She did not really think the other female stupid, innocent naive perhaps and foolish, but not stupid. And he had said she was young so perhaps it was just a matter of circumstance and all that entailed. Blue Willow was not entirely shocked at the bitter undertones in Peregrines words or the way he frowned when he was done. She was a bit surprised that he did not want anything to do with the babies, but at the same time it also made sense and it upped her regard for him as her leader. He was right they were the other pack's problem now though she loved pups they just had four of their own here in this pack that needed provided for they could not in any way shape or form care for more.

She dipped her head to Peregrine, but kept her mouth quiet there was really nothing to say here she was merely a bystander in this situation.

Overall, Peregrine’s reaction wasn’t nearly as bad as Ragnar had expected it to be for he had not been sure how he, as Crete’s brother, would take it. Rather, Ragnar found that he was intensely relieved that Peregrine did not even bother to try to jump Crete’s defense. “No. I was the first to know of it, before even our leader,” And though Ragnar had tried to talk into Thistle about seeing Pump about it sooner she had refused arguing that she wasn’t sure Crete and her’s coupling would have resulted in pups. It wasn’t right that Peregrine was finding out about this whole thing from Ragnar who was nothing more than a stranger to him, but still, it was better that it was out and in the air.

His relief was further raised when Peregrine dismissed the babes, stating that they had nothing to do with the Plateau or the family, knowing that Thistle would be relieved to hear that. She had gotten herself rather worked up with the consideration that they might want a claim to them. “I suppose you deserve a fair warning that if he comes near my wife or family I will kill him,” Whether that would inspire Peregrine’s ire or not was undetermined but Ragnar thought it was better to get it all out in the open while he was speaking as honestly as he could (of course he lied a teeny bit about Thistle being his mate but in his mind he was doing her a favor).

“There is another thing I wanted to speak to you about, regarding the Ridge,” Ragnar inhaled softly and let it out, wanting to be gone of this place now and return to his wife’s side. “We suffered a landslide that has made half of our territory inexcessable and left quite a few of us injured about a month ago, I know no one has come to share with you but I thought you should know being our closest neighbors that our old leader was never found and that we have a new one in his stead.” Perhaps it would mean nothing but it was worth telling, anyway.

Although the threat against his brother's life made Peregrine's hackles prickle instinctively, he retorted, "Believe me, if he comes around here again, I'll kill him," in a dark tone. The Alpha male didn't know whether or not he actually meant that, though he would appear formidably serious to anyone else, particularly the two wolves standing in front of him. He punctuated the comment with a stony silence, his sharp eyes stabbing into everything they landed upon, including Ragnar and Blue Willow.

"What would possess my brother to fuck another man's wife?" he spat suddenly, then shook his head. Then, despite himself and his cold indifference a moment ago, he couldn't help but wonder aloud, "What will you and your leader do to the pups?" Whether they planned to kill them or keep them, Peregrine wouldn't have an opinion on the matter, as it was none of his business. Still, he did fleetingly think, Those might be my nieces and nephews, before he shut down that train of thought quite forcefully.

The news of Horizon Ridge didn't interest Peregrine in the least and, not for the first nor the last time, he wondered why the neighboring packs thought he cared about their goings-on. He didn't have the energy to throw this fact in Ragnar's face, nor the will. He simply bobbed his head to acknowledge the news, even if he would neither digest it nor pass it along to anyone.

"Is there anything else?" he eventually asked in a weary voice edged with anger that was, once again, directed at no one present. "If not, I'd like to get back to my hunt."

A ripple of unease skittered up blue Willow's spine and her own hackles rose. The simple fact of the matter was that Crete had been a part of them of their pack family and even more so for Peregrine and for him to do this was in a sense unforgiveable and unfathomable. Perhaps there was more to the story, but who was to ever know other than the girl and Crete.

Blue Willow winced at his use of profanity but made no comment it was not her place nor would she ever say anything. the profane use of words was simply a part of Peregrine a part that she was starting to accept though in times like this it sounded so much more harsh than it would normally. Willow's ear's pricked forward when Peregrine asked about the pups she was curious as well.

Blue Willow was about ot offer to come along, but she heard the anger bleeding from his voice at really no one in particular just that it was there and decided against it. if he would like company he could voice it otherwise she would go her own way today and find him another day to try and talk to him if that was what he needed. Though she assumed in most cases for situations like this he would go to his mate or his siblings not his friends. Well she wasn't even sure if he counted her a friend as she recalled he had never said, but she would not think about that today she thought of him as such and that was fine for her.

Ragnar offered Peregrine no answers, simply because he had none. He had came here out of what he assumed to be their common courtesy, his messages had been delivered and there was no other reason to keep him lingering here. “Majority ruled that they would live but that they are not permitted names or permitted to leave the pack until they are two years of age,” How Pump thought she was going to keep strong willed, maybe even rebellious teenagers from leaving the pack he had yet to find out, but he had not felt like bringing that up to her accommodating the fact that Ragnar was too emotionally invested in the whole damn thing and that if the pups were killed that it would probably destroy Thistle. “We will see how that works in practice,” Though if they were anything like Ragnar it simply put wouldn’t work. “No, that was all.” Admittedly, parting sounded like an extremely good thing because Ragnar missed Thistle and wanted to get back to her likely just as much as Peregrine wanted to get back to his hunt.

Ragnar's response was met with a lift of Peregrine's brow. He'd never heard of such a practice and would have found it intriguing if he hadn't been so pissed off at the moment. But he was, so he barely processed the male's reply before pressing his lips together, nodding very briefly to both Ragnar and Blue Willow, then turning and sweeping back up to the plateau proper.

Blue Willow watched him go with a pinched brow betwixt her eyes. She turned and looked at ragnar and offered him a smile. "Thank you for coming here with me to deliver that news. Now I best let you go I imagine you're anxious to get back to your wife friend. She dipped her head one last time and turned escaping into her own borders her grey black pelt melting into the shadows.

Ragnar watched Peregrine depart and then turned his icy, oceanic eyes to Blue Willow when she spoke to him, basically giving him a goodbye - at least, this was how Ragnar chose to see it as. He dipped his head to her, though he offered no verbal sort of thanks; such was simply not in the Viking’s nature. With that, he, himself turned and headed back the way he had came, this time alone, anxious to get back to the Ridge and Thistle.