Blacktail Deer Plateau common courtesy

Attn: @Peregrine.

Roughly a week and a half had passed since the coyote incident, and Fox did not feel that they were a threat any longer. The corpse of the one who had died in battle had apparently made an impression on the mangy things, leaving the creek without worry that they would be bothered again by the clan. Still, a niggling feeling left Fox itching to visit the plateau and pick on her frenemy, Peregrine. She had no plans to piss on his borders, and had instead plucked a small hare from within the creek's borders and carried it to Perry's land.

Here, a good fifty yards from the stench of her rival's piss, Fox sat and dropped the hare at her feet, awaiting the inevitable border patrol. She grinned idly at the thought of being on the committee again, but her leader duties had made such a thing impossible these days. Perhaps she would have to appoint somebody as her protege.

The plateau's Alpha male had been so preoccupied by his young family's growth and his sister's health problems that he hadn't noticed the ranks thinning. As he made a patrol today, he came across exactly seven adult scents, one of them fading. Peregrine frowned to himself, wondering how half a dozen adults would provide for nearly as many growing pups. He thought of the faces now missing from the plateau and his frown deepened into more of a scowl. Why had so many turned away from the pack when it needed them most?

Moodily, he finished his patrol and arrived at the crest of the plateau overlooking the river and the plains beyond. Down there, he spotted a figure skulking just beyond the borders and his eyes narrowed. Without thinking, he loped down the decline to warn away the lurker... only to recognize her en route. It was Fox, alias: Lil' Weenie. Strangely, the first thought that crossed his mind was, She's my mysterious niece's Alpha.

"What do you want? I got your message; did you get mine?" he questioned with the slightest touch of cheek in his tone as he recollected Njal's visit a few weeks back. "Normally, I wouldn't give a shit but how're things at the creek? More specifically, how is one youngster by the name of Bones, if I may ask...?"

Whoooaaaa. I just hit 50 archived posts. Crazy town.

“I did,” she replied, placing a paw on the hare that lay at her feet. She could always use it as a last-ditch effort in case things got ugly. If she fled, and left the food here, he was far more likely to take the food and leave her alone. Not that she really expected things to get bad, but she knew Perry was not here to make friends. Which is why it was so surprising to hear him ask about the creek and... Bones? Fox had no idea of the girl's connection to the plateau, since Bones had not mentioned to her specifically.

“We were raided by a band of coyotes recently,” she replied, “But they have not returned for more than ten days, so I believe it is safe to say they will stay away from Swiftcurrent. They may, however, visit you next.” It was fair warning, and Fox only gave it because she would rather the plateau stick around. The vale could die in a fire, for all she cared, but there was just something about Perry that she'd taken a liking to. “Bones helped to fight them off,” she added, still curious as to how he knew the young girl.

Congrats. :D

Peregrine glanced at the rabbit under Fox's foot, though didn't presume it was meant for him, so he ignored it. He did not, however, ignore the news of the coyotes. He licked his lips, his eyes narrowing. "If they come anywhere near here, I'll kill all of them myself. Hopefully you and yours showed them what's up and they know better than to mess with wolf packs."

If Fox was perplexed by the question, she didn't show it. Peregrine tensed slightly at the information, then asked, "I assume she's unharmed?" Even though he had yet to meet her, the fact that she was Atticus's crotch fruit meant he cared about her well-being. "She's evidently my brother's love child. They found one another recently. He tried to get her to relocate here but she's apparently quite loyal to the creek." Peregrine didn't really care one way or another, since the child in question was really more of a teenager and a stranger to boot, but he knew this bothered Atticus.

The thought of Perry killing off all the coyotes was laughable, but Fox wasn't about to insult him so close to his own land. If he thought he could do such a thing, she was more than willing to allow him that fantasy. Fox nodded when Perry asked if Bones was unharmed, and quirked a brow when he revealed how he was acquainted with the little rascal. “Ahhhh,” she replied, “I was wondering how you knew her. I remember her saying something about a mother who liked to get knocked up and then abandon her children. Sounds like your brother knows how to pick ‘em.”

Fox was pleased to hear that Bones had chosen to stay at the creek, even though her father lived here. She would have to mention it to the juvenile once she ran into her in private again. Such a thing was not always easy, especially considering all the shit that the creek had been through the past couple of months. Bones could have easily fled, citing the cougar or the recent split as the motivation for her departure.

“I heard you knocked up your lady, too, huh?” she said, wiggling her eyebrows to make her point. “How are the sprogs doing?”

Peregrine didn't mind Fox calling out Cutlass for what she was, though he gave her the side eye at the implied insult directed at Atticus. "He was just hitting sexual maturity then," he rejoined, "so I'm sure the hormones picked for him. He's actually a great guy and he'll be a great dad to Bones, in whatever capacity she wants one."

The Alpha male's eyes squinted when Fox crassly asked about his mate and pups. "They're phantasmagorical," he quipped, unaware of the word's actual meaning; it just sounded cool, like an upgraded version of fantastic. "I didn't tell your messenger boy this but... my niece also gave birth. She and Hawkeye both had two. My niece passed away, though, and so my wife is bringing up all four of them. Their father's still in the picture," he added for clarity's sake.

"And I suppose I should ask about the creek's pups, if there are any," Peregrine drawled the next moment. "You don't look old enough to be a mother yet; are you? It's hard to tell, considering how preciously petite you are, Lil' Weenie." He smirked at her, though he tipped his head with genuine curiosity. She was small and youthful but she certainly had a sassy adult mouth. She was easy on the eyes and evidently wore an Alpha title these days too, which made her a very eligible bachelorette indeed.

Fox held her tongue this time around, feeling that she was hitting a nerve by calling his brother out for being a man-whore. Hormones or not, Fox thought he should have been able to see that the girl was clearly only there to get some nookie and then get out. Fox had always disliked the idea of bastard children, so to hear that Perry's brother had been the source of some left a bad taste in her mouth. Of course, she herself had never experienced the hormonal imbalance that came with the change of the seasons, so in that regard, she had no idea what she was talking thinking about.

Her head tilted to one side as she listened to the next tidbit of information. It was a sad story, even for Fox who felt that life and death were just part of the way the world worked. Unfortunately, Fox failed when it came to giving out words of comfort, so she also declined to comment on that news.

Thankfully, Perry followed up with a question about the creek, and one that she was happy to reply to. “I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until next year to be bloated and gross,” she replied with a grin, “But two of my most loyal comrades are having a litter together, so we will not be without our own sprogs.” Hopefully, this news would project the creek as a powerful pack.

Honestly, Peregrine didn't much care about the creek's pups, so he didn't bother asking about the lucky parents or any other details. He found Fox's age much more interesting for some reason. She wasn't yet two. How had she ascended to the role of Alpha, he couldn't help but wonder. Despite himself, the Alpha male was intrigued. He experienced another sentiment too, though he didn't have a name for it and didn't bother ruminating on it.

"I bet you'll be just adorable when you're pregnant, Lil' Weenie," Peregrine teased, picturing Fox ballooned up like she'd swallowed a beach ball. He smirked. "Do you have a lucky dude lined up to do the honors?" he asked, feeling a faint twinge of angst even as the words left his tongue. He blinked and swallowed, suddenly disconcerted by his own inexplicable reactions.

*eyeballs Perry and slides in the other direction*

“Hah!” she exclaimed when he said she'd be "adorable" when looking like a balloon on a stick. “That's assuming I’m adorable now,” she replied. Fox did not consider herself any such thing, although there may have been some merit to his off-hand observation. She lacked the finesse and lithe beauty that many females had; her beauty was a wild one. Fox felt she had one too many scars criss-crossing her body to be considered "adorable," as Perry put it.

“I’ll have my pick of the pack,” she replied, although she did not reveal that she wished Haunter to father them. Sveinn would have made an able father as well, but he had left them. She did not think that the Haunt would stick around much longer either, but she did have a smidgen of hope that he would. The man was strong and able, and those were two traits she longed for in her eventual match.

“But enough talk of planning. I’m sure you have fatherly things to do, and I needn’t take up any more of your time.” Fox grabbed the hare from in front of her and tossed it at Perry's feet. “Give that to your lady.” Nodding a farewell, Fox kicked up her feet and loped in the direction of the creek.

That's no fun! I was hoping for some interesting character development. Well, I think I got some anyway. :P

He resisted the temptation to assure her she was rather adorable indeed, holding his tongue with his teeth. He likewise remained silent and motionless when she told him she'd have her pick. Part of Peregrine was trying to resist saying something he shouldn't and the other part was wondering why he was having to do that. His brain was essentially full of question marks and exclamation points.

Without warning, Fox tossed the rabbit at him and departed. Peregrine's lips finally parted, to protest her departure of all things, and he closed his mouth firmly. He looked down at the rabbit, then sighed and slowly bent down to pick it up off the ground. When his neck straightened, he caught sight of Fox's back just before she disappeared from sight. He tore his eyes away forcefully, then turned and headed back home to his wife and kids.