Redhawk Caldera smashing

@Peregrine

She had avoided him longer than she had intended. It wasn't even a conscious thing, Fox just really hated being uncomfortable, and she knew she was going to have to suffer through a little bit more when she finally ran into him again. But Redhawk Caldera wasn't that big, and she knew that the sooner she got it over with, the better off they would be. Besides, Peregrine and Fox were a team, and Fox knew from experience that without him, she tended to just make a mess of things.

The Redhawk matriarch knew she didn't want to approach him empty-handed, so she'd made a point to go to the lake and pick up a large, plump fish from their home's namesake. With that in her jaws, she tracked him down. When she spotted him up ahead, Fox took in a deep breath and picked up her pace, fish flopping up and down with each step. She came up along his good (seeing) side, and did her best to smile through the mouthful of fish.

He knew he'd lost his cool with Fox. He'd lost it with Pan too. Hell, he'd lost it with everyone in the pack, some of them more than once. The loss of sight had really hit him hard. He was all over the place with it. More recently, though, he'd adopted a consistently more positive attitude. Peregrine still wasn't sure how he would fare over time with only half his vision, yet he was making strides in his basic functionality.

He had managed to capture a field mouse today on his first try. Rather than kill it outright, he broke its back and then set it loose again to use for practice. Perhaps it was cruel but this was how pups learned and how he would sharpen his skills. Peregrine missed several times but he managed to trap the mouse more times than he didn't. He smiled, satisfied, on his dozenth or so capture.

That's when Fox arrived on his good side, a fat fish tucked in her mouth. He raised his brow at her, then smiled. They hadn't spoken much since their blowout but he was over it by now. It seemed she wouldn't hold a grudge either. Of course, they would have to talk about it... or maybe they didn't.

Instead of saying anything, Peregrine raised his left paw and lifted his tiny prey into the air to show it to Fox. I've still got it, the look on his face seemed to say. It was small but it was still a start. He might be able to retain his Gamekeeper trade yet. Trade you? he seemed to ask next, tipping his swarthy snout toward her fish and locking eyes with his mate.

I've been staring at this for awhile. Stupid writer's block. *shakes fist at sky*

Peregrine lifted his paw, and it took Fox a moment to realize what he was getting at. The mouse looked downright bedraggled now that he had gone and captured it several times. Perry then gestured toward the fish, and Fox dropped it at his feet. Before he got a chance to dive into it, though, she tucked her head under his chin and gave him a wolfish embrace. No words were needed, not yet. Fox had always been a more physical creature, anyway, preferring to get her point across with actions rather than spoken word.

She pulled away then, and picked the mouse up off the ground. Sure, she could have just eaten it, but that would have been rather boring, wouldn't it? Instead, she flung it up toward the sky, letting it fall a few feet away. Stalking it as she would any prey, Fox leapt on it and repeated the actions a few more times before finally chomping down on the small rodent and swallowing it whole.

The poor mouse evidently hadn't suffered enough. Fox toyed with it for a few minutes before finally putting the thing out of its misery. Peregrine watched, an amused look in his eye, then bent his head down to sniff at the fish. It was actually quite an unfair trade-off. But it was the thought that counted, right? Either way, the Alpha male decided he would split the fish with his mate. Using teeth and claws, he tore it roughly in half.

Selfishly, he decided to keep the tasty head. He clasped the tail fin in his teeth and flung his head upward, tossing it in his mate's direction in the hopes that it would smack her. Five points for the flank, ten for the head and one hundred for the ass, Peregrine thought even as the scrap of meat went flying in Fox's direction.

The severed hind-end of the fish hit her in the head. (Ten points to Gryffindor!) Fox shot Peregrine a mock-scowl, picked up the half-fish, and flung it right back at him. Hopefully harder than he had thrown it at her. All at once, this had turned into a food fight. Since Peregrine had all the food now, Fox knew she had to take action—quick! As fast as she could, Fox dove behind the nearest bush, hoping to evade the impending fish tail. That was assuming that Perry was going to throw it back, of course.

When the fish didn't come right away, Fox poked her red head up above the bush so only her ears, eyes, and the top of her head could be seen. She peered back at Peregrine, trying to see what he would do next. If he threw the fish at her, she hoped she'd have enough time to take cover and avoid a majority of the "damage."

My co-worker: "What are you listening to...?!"

Peregrine cackled loudly when the fish smacked his wife right in the head. When she scowled at him, he laughed harder and more openly. So when Fox abruptly launched the fish tail back in his direction, it actually shot directly into his mouth. He choked on it a little bit and made a rather strange noise, then coughed it back into his mouth and swallowed it again, whole. It was a bit painful going down and for a second, he swore one of the fins was caught in his throat. Eventually it plopped into his belly, though.

He smacked his lips, then shifted his eyes to where he saw Fox peeking at him, her body screened by a shrub. Since had eaten the tail (by accident) after all, it seemed the head now rightfully belonged to her. Peregrine blinked down at it, then scooped it with a broad black paw and lobbed it at her. The toss went a bit wild, seeing as she was farther away and his depth perception was nil.

The back end of the fish was gone, and Fox had missed his whole choking episode when she was diving behind the bush. When she had finally peeked up, it was just in time to see Peregrine fling the fish head toward her. It went askew, coming nowhere near her, and she giggled girlishly. "Missed me, missed me, now you gotta kiss me!" she chanted, coming around the bush and in full view of Peregrine. She gave him a mischievous look, then bounded in the opposite direction.

"Gotta catch me, first!" she called out over her shoulder, inviting him into a game of, well, chase! She didn't go at full speed, nor did she take some of the more difficult paths. Instead, she followed an old deer trail, occasionally glancing back to see how far behind he was. This was a game she wanted him to win.

She taunted him and then took off at a slow run, inviting him to give chase. Normally he would have bounded after her, keen to capture his mate and have his way with her. He hesitated now, though only for a few seconds. He began to trot slowly and carefully after her. He had gotten fairly good at walking but running was an entirely different challenge. It took a lot of concentration too.

He managed to get up to a steady, calm lope, and he even began to catch up to her. He knew she must be going easy on him but Peregrine shoved his pride aside. It felt good to be on the move like this. He ignored the fact that it was really only a matter of time before he tripped or ran into something. He even hopped a little as he came nearer and nearer to Fox.

The inevitable happened. He didn't notice the uneven ground and he stumbled into a small shallow. He managed to catch himself and avoid falling on his face, though he scuffed his elbows in the process. Peregrine also felt a little idiotic. But he clenched his teeth, repeated his mantra in his head ("Adapt or die!") and resumed all fours.

With a playful growl, he lunged at Fox, finally finding his voice as he shouted, "The one-eyed monster is coming for your ass!" Double entendres were always fun.

Fox squealed with delight when Peregrine lunged toward her, though she made no move to get out of the way. She had slowed when she'd heard him tumble, making sure that he hadn't hurt himself terribly. Bracing for impact, Fox let herself fall into a heap, legs and limbs tangled with his own. Playfully, she bit at him, though nothing to break the skin or cause any harm. She wasn't out for blood, just some good old fashioned bruises.

Unless he broke away from her, she was content to duke it out with him right here and now. Fox certainly had no plans to escape from her "captor." She wished only to wrestle with him until things moved in a different direction (and she could think of one specific direction they tended to end up going).

He managed to catch her and together they fell to the ground, wrestling playfully, complete with grunting and biting. Peregrine laughed as they fooled around, feeling particularly light. He was glad that, no matter how nastily they sometimes fought, they always found their way back here. He batted gently at Fox's face with his big black paw, cupping her cheek for a split second and catching her gaze. Peregrine smiled at her, then withdrew his paw, though not before tweaking her nose with his toes.

"I owe you a kiss, don't I?" he rumbled, untangling himself and rising to stand above the Alpha female. He pressed his snout to her forehead, giving her a lick, then began trailing down her neck, toward her shoulder, planting little nibbles as he went.

Perry is lookin' all salt 'n' pepper! Also, short post because I am so out of practice, jeez.

Peregrine kept true to the silly little rhyme, insisting that he owed her a kiss. Fox did not object in the slightest, and relaxed instantly at his touch. Sure, they had their spats. Sure, things weren't always perfect. But Peregrine was her one true love, and she was his. Even the most explosive of arguments could not rip them apart from one another. "You do," Fox murmured as he continued his nibbling.

Wanna fade this and have another soon? :D

Sometimes, he could be rather rough. He knew she liked that. Today, however, he was gentle. He gave her so many kisses, he lost count. Peregrine moved over the sculpted peaks of her shoulder blades down her spine. When he reached her rump, he gave her a slightly rougher bite before smiling and taking a seat behind her.

He said and did nothing for a moment. Just in case Fox was wondering, he let her know, "Just admiring the view. I may only have one eye but your ass looks just as fine as always," he declared, reaching out a broad black forepaw to gently slap her posterior.

Goosebumps prickled her skin as Peregrine continued giving her tiny, lovely kisses all down her body. It wasn't until he stopped that she opened her eyes, not realizing that she had closed them in the first place. His words were as sweet as ever, and she pulled her front legs close to her chest to embrace the feeling. "You flatter me," Fox replied with a wide grin. "One eye or two, you'll always be the man for me," she added, pushing herself onto her feet and moving around him to lick the cheek on his good side.

"One eye or two, I'll always be the man for you," Peregrine crooned in reply, then laughed quietly. He was such a sappy romantic sometimes. "Come on, let's find somewhere to steal away and boink." Or maybe not. He returned her lick, then winked lasciviously at his mate before bumping her with his snout and leading her away for a good old-fashioned roll in the hay.