Blacktail Deer Plateau to the moon and back

@Peregrine! @Crete, you're welcome in this thread as well if you'd like to join.

He had followed their scents here.

He'd only been a day or two behind Crete, for his mute brother's scent had been strong and easy to follow. It was hard to say how far ahead Peregrine was, as his scent had faded almost entirely. Only in a few spots had he detected Peregrine amidst tamped-down leaves and wet earth, presumably where his bolder brother had bedded down or taken care to mark thoroughly for his brothers' sakes. He wondered how Crete was doing, and quietly worried for him. He knew Crete was a capable wolf, fully as able to protect and provide for himself as any of the rest of them were, but it was an involuntary thing. He wished they had been able to leave together. That would've been the least Tyrannus could have done for them.

Tyrannus. That appropriately-named tyrannical asshole. Everything inside him soured and blackened at the very thought of his traitorous brother. It was bad enough that he had exiled his own brothers, but it was testament to how profoundly petty a douchebag he was that he had exiled Crete. He supposed it was entirely possible that Crete could have usurped him and led their pack even in spite of his disability, but seriously. He was afraid of Crete? Come on. What a pussy.

He'd been wandering along, following his brother's trail, and it had brought him here. It wasn't especially noteworthy, no different from the previous…however many miles he had covered to get here. Had it been a hundred miles? A thousand? He had no idea. He'd lost track. But here was where Crete's trail had brought him, and here was where, for the first time since he'd left home, Peregrine's scent was strong. It was all around this place, and he wondered quietly if this was where his brother had settled. The scents of other wolves mingled with his, and a lightbulb over Atticus's head lit up, telling him that there was evidently a pack living here, and his brother must've been a part of it. That Crete's scent brought him here led him to assume that he and Peregrine had met up with one another, and that Crete was now living here as well. He shrugged his shoulders — only one way to find out. Tossing his head back, he pointed his black muzzle to the sky and sent up a short summoning howl, his unmistakable voice a dark, basso timbre that resonated richly across the serene landscape.

Since Crete's arrival, Peregrine had scarcely graced the territory's interior with his presence. He kept a tireless vigil at its outskirts, watchfully waiting. He felt certain that Osprey would come, hot on their mute brother's heels. He knew Atticus would likely show up too, another of Tyrannus's victims. The thought brought a sneer to Peregrine's face, yet it wasn't an altogether wretched expression any longer; now, it was tinged with belligerent pride. He and his brothers—and sister—would stick together in spite of their tyrannical relative and thrive even as Tyrannus doomed the Flightless Falcons to certain failure.

This morning was a particularly frosty one, the bitter cold turning his breath into a fog which crystallized on his black muzzle, giving him a white beard. His constant footfalls wore a path in the snow, all the way down to the frigid, frozen earth. Constantly, his eyes shifted to and fro and his whiskers and ears twitched as he absorbed every last piece of sensual data his surroundings provided. If and when his siblings arrived, he would know in a heartbeat.

Speaking of which, his heart flew into his throat when the first notes of a deep howl thrust up into the winter morning air, shaking the snow off a nearby pine bough right above his head. It missed him by several feet, as Peregrine bounded along the towpath that led him down into the flatlands. His broad paws struck neutral ground and he didn't slow. He galloped along the foot of the plateau, tracking the howl to its source and crashing directly into Atticus as he rounded a bend.

He snarled in surprise and the two went down in a tangle of black fur and long limbs. Like a cat, Peregrine hated to lose his footing, so he rolled even as he struck the ground, then bounced back onto all fours. Every single charcoal fur stood on end, though it flattened when he realized he'd smashed into Atticus. His initial bewilderment upon impact gave way to a grin and his tail swept the air in a wide arc as he woofed at his eldest litter mate.

"Att," he said simply, sniffing noses with Atticus and roughly bumping his silvering muzzle against Att's flawlessly black cheek. "I knew you'd come. I mean, Tyrannus's douchebaggery is indisputable at this point, isn't it?" He exchanged a dark look with his duplicate and chuffed. "It's good to see you, bro."

Adjusting to life in Black Deer Plateau (for Crete was still under the assumption that Peregrine had not mislead him - knowingly or not - on the name) was fairly easy, despite the monumental differences between Black Deer Plateau and Flightless Falcon’s (at least how it was when Aether and March Owl had been at it’s helm). Unable to help it, Crete found himself horrendously biased and could, further, not help the constant comparisons he kept making. Hawkeye had an entirely different governing system than either of his parents had held and he found her methods to be …wanting, in the wake of what he was used too. Perhaps with time his judgments (making him irrevocably glad he was a mute and no one could read his mind), harsh and expecting in their nature would dissolve as he got more used to Hawkeye’s methods. It was unfair to judge her so starkly against his parents for Crete understood she was an entirely different wolf - that came from different lands, where their cultures were likely different. As it was, Crete assumed he was suffering from just that: culture shock, unaided by his ferocious mood swings that nightmares and betrayal had caused. When the wound ceased to fester and began to heal over, Crete was fairly certain that the mood swings (and at time, aggression) would subside and he would be back to his normal, benevolent self once more.

He could only hope.

A summoning howl rose in the distance, capturing Crete’s distinct attention as the mute processed the familiar timbers of Atticus’ voice. Half of his meal abandoned, he (though he did not know it) followed in Peregrine’s steps, propelling himself towards his littermate that waited at the borders for Hawkeye. Sea-green eyes took in the familiar ink colored shapes that looked like a tangled mass of fur and limbs, feeling himself snort and roll his eyes playfully, at the obviousness that Peregrine had beat him to Atticus. Peregrine’s words were picked up by Crete as he approached his brothers at a trot, his tail wagging behind him once, though his face took an apologetic expression towards Atticus. It seemed Tyrannus’ outrageous behavior had not stopped with Crete, though, for Atticus’ sake Crete had hoped that it would have. Logic told Crete he should have known better, yet Crete had held some, faint faith in their elder brother than needless to say was now entirely extinguished until he felt nothing towards the new patriarch of the DiSarinno-Redleaf family at all.

table by houkie

Another call? It had only been a few days since the joining of Crete, and Hawkeye vaguely wondered in amusement if there was yet another brother. Squatting quickly to mark a tree with her scent, covering up Peregrine's, she took off.

Arriving, a frown touched her lips. Shit, I was right. Hawkeye looked pointedly at Peregrine, lightened her look at Crete while nodding, and then stretched her chest. "Another brother, huh? It must be my lucky week. Are you in need of a place to stay as well? I am Hawkeye, leader of this pack. We are Blacktail Deer Plateau." She paused a moment, pondering, then opened her mouth in curiosity. "I see that handsome features run in the family." The dark female watched Peregrine from the corner of her eye, expecting him to give a smug look or a snarky comment. She wished he would; she knew damn well what he thought of her, and playing into it would be amusing to her.

set by Emy

Holy crap, you guys shadow-posted the crap out of me. You're awesome. :D

The echoes of his howl reverberated off into the distance and silence followed shortly thereafter, leaving Atticus to wait in anxious anticipation. He knew this was Peregrine's scent, so unmistakably stinky and reeking (he grinned) around these lands, but in a moment of doubt he wondered if he would be so lucky as to have his brother be his greeter at all. He couldn't be the only wolf that lived here, after all. Had he just unintentionally pissed off some resident Alpha? He gulped.

Only time would tell.

As he waited, he reflected back on the events of the previous weeks. His brother's pearly-white teeth so near his throat, his snarl ringing dangerously in his ears. Tyrannus hadn't even given him a chance to say goodbye to his mother or family. His brother had simply chased him out right then and there, running him until his tongue dangled limply from his jaws and his breaths came in great heaves. Only then did Tyrannus let him go, turning back to return to the Falcons. That night, Atticus had taken a roundabout path and circled back to the packlands in an effort to reach his sister — he at least wanted to talk to his sister, to tell him where all of her brothers had gone — but his brother had caught him. Atticus resisted him then, but Tyrannus — larger, stronger, and more experienced — had bested him easily, pretty much handing Atticus's ass to him without breaking a sweat. He was still bruised and sore in some places, a few cuts still knitting together under the cover of his thick black fur. And so he had been forced to truly leave at that point. Get out or get dead.

A soft growl was rumbling softly in his chest as he thought back on everything, and he was totally distracted and not paying attention when, out of the blue, a big black wrecking ball slammed into him. I mean slammed. Both of them went flying through the air, a massive, snarling, tangled-up bramble of pissed-off canine. Fearing an attack, he instinctively whirled around and snapped at his assailant, his teeth just missing some body part, he knew not which one.

Just as instantaneously as they had connected, they parted. Atticus danced away from his opponent, and his opponent sprang, catlike, to his feet.

….wait, Atticus knew that maneuver. He narrowed his eyes. Sniffed the air.

"Perry!" he half-shouted, a grin instantly slicing across his dark face. "You asshole!" He leaped toward his brother, tail waving like crazy behind him, and shoulder-bumped him affably. It was so good to see his brother's face again. All the hostility and ensuing loneliness of the past weeks had left an emptiness inside of him that drank in the familiarity of Peregrine's presence like scorched sand sucks up water. "God, I don't even…hey, Crete!"

He saw his two-toned brother approaching from a short distance behind Peregrine, and sprang toward him with enthusiasm. His heart, so broken and filled with anger, soared and sang with joy. He nuzzled Crete beneath the chin in affectionate greeting, momentarily wordless with glee, and then noticed yet another wolf approaching, this one a lovely ebony female. Good grief, it was like a goth convention, with all these swarthy black wolves hanging around. Atticus sensed from the way she carried herself that this was probably the boss lady herself, so he quickly dropped into a deep bow of respect and deference, his throat brushing the ground and his eyes wandering over toward Crete's paws as he spoke. "Yeah, uh…you probably already heard about the dick brother and all," he said with a shrug and a sheepish grin. Though he didn't reply to her comment about good looks running in the family, he felt a hot blush rise up beneath his fur. Thank god for fur. He had always been far more modest about things like that than Peregrine had. "I'm Atticus."

Peregrine turned to look over his shoulder when Atticus's frosty eyes shifted beyond him to focus on Crete, who appeared on the scene with as much haste but far less noise than himself. The youngest of the three brothers stepped backward to let them greet one another, which meant he noticed the Alpha female slinking onto the scene almost immediately. His ears pricked, his tongue lolling from his mouth as she approached with a sassy comment fresh on her lips.

"This is Att," the swarthy Sigma replied a beat after his brother introduced himself. "His dong is even bigger than Crete's," Peregrine quipped crudely, running with the joke he and Hawkeye seemed to share at this point. "He is," he added in response to her question, a stormy darkness passing through his eyes. "He's another victim of Tyrannus's power trip." Although Atticus hadn't yet had a chance to verify this, Peregrine exchanged a knowing glance with his eldest litter mate.

While Hawkeye presumably spoke with Atticus to get a feel for his personality and assets, Peregrine stepped aside and nudged Crete to join him. "I guess it's Blacktail Deer Plateau," he whispered to his kin sotto voce, black tail swaying side to side and thumping lightly against his brother's leg. "My bad," he muttered with a little snicker, veritably delighted by the recent turn of events and his brothers' presence here.

Atticus’ enthusiasm to see him was warming to Crete, and the mute’s tail wagged joyously behind him, as he met Atticus half way, pressing his nose against his littermate’s cheek before Atticus nuzzled him beneath the chin. Another piece of Crete’s puzzle-like heart was filled, sewing itself into place. All they were missing of their litter was Osprey, now, and Crete’s heart would almost be complete. Almost, but never fully. There would always, he had acknowledged when they had buried his father, be an empty place that had died with Aether. No one could ever fill the hole that the patriarch had left in the wake of his death - though Crete reflected absently, that if Tyrannus had been trying he had failed quite miserably. At Hawkeye’s approach, Crete lowered himself into proper submission before he moved to stand beside Peregrine as Perry (though why it was particularly unexpected to Crete, he would never know) went on to inform Hawkeye that Atticus’ male genitalia was bigger than Crete’s. Crete shot Peregrine a perverse look, lips twitching in a taunting grin. 'If you keep going on about Atticus’ and I’s genitalia she might start wondering about yours.' There were those moments in life when Crete, whom had never really been the ‘woe is me’ type, wished with a fierce passion that he had not been born mute. There was so much he wanted to say, wishing he had the ease of simply letting it roll off of his tongue and pass through his lips.

That had been one of those moments, though the wish was as fleeting as it was fierce. It had vanished near as quickly as it had came.

Hawkeye’s compliment had not gone unnoticed by Crete, but he did not truly have the choice of responding to it, so simply let it go, not knowing what else to do. And since he could not speak, figured he'd just stand there like the silent sentry he was.

table by houkie

Hawkeye nearly snorted at the quip about Atticus' "dong". She saw Crete's look, sharing the same thought. "You seem to envy that your brothers have large... pieces of anatomy, but have yet to brag of yourself. Does this mean you have a rather small penis, Peregrine?" Keeping a straight face was near impossible, and a smirk a twitched in the corner of her mouth.

Fully realizing that there were three brothers, especially ones that were handsome, Hawkeye felt her face grow hot. They were all attractive, and she would be reaching full sexual maturity any day now; she might end up causing trouble, but she didn't let this slip from her tongue.

She sighed lightly. "Well, what's another brother to a pack," she more stated than asked. "Welcome aboard, Atticus. I am sure you will make yourself useful like your brothers." She gave a serious, pointed look, letting the males know she meant business.

table by houkie

Holy crap, you guys shadow-posted the crap out of me. You're awesome. :D

God, Peregrine. Just about the time Atticus thought he was immune to Perry's unique talent for making the worst comments at the most embarrassing times, Perry went and upped the ante. His eyes widened in horror. He understood the importance of first impressions, and couldn't believe his brother was making dick jokes to their Alpha, right in front of them, during his first meeting with her.

But almost without missing a beat, Hawkeye coolly fired back the greatest retort ever, and Atticus couldn't stop the wicked grin that crawled across his face. He already knew that he was going to like this chick a lot. His pale blue eyes, gleaming with evil amusement, lingered on his brother's face as he replied to Hawkeye in a hushed half-whisper that was totally intended for all of them to hear, "Yeah, Perry suffers from a rare condition called microscopicus cockus." The grin widened on his stark black face, and it was all he could do to suppress the laugh that bubbled up within him and keep a serious face. "So, you know, penis envy and all. He has to live vicariously through me and Crete." He grinned at Crete too, knowing his brother would appreciate the jibe at Peregrine.

Fully knowing Perry would probably kick his ass from here to kingdom come later, he dipped his head to Hawkeye and commented, on a more serious note, "Thanks for letting me stay. I'll do my best to serve you well. We, uh...have a sister, Osprey, who might come too. It's a really big if, but…just so you know."

Rather suddenly, Peregrine found himself the butt of a joke directed at him by all three of his comrades. "What—" he sputtered, bridling a little at the implication. The stupid grins on his brothers' faces were contagious, though, and after giving them a glare, he laughed along with them. He'd dug that hole for himself, hadn't he?

Facing Hawkeye, he said imperiously, "It's actually massive too. It's a Redleaf-DiSarinno thing. Isn't it, boys?" he said, winking a dusky blue-green eye at Atticus and Crete, then clicking his tongue suggestively at Hawkeye as if to add, And I'm sure any one of us would be happy to prove it...

The joking died away as the Alpha female formally welcomed Atticus into the ranks. Peregrine grinned at his eldest brother, though his face quickly transformed when he mentioned their sister. "Do you know if she left too?" he questioned in a serious tone. "I doubt Tyrannus would've kicked her out... but I'm thinking she might've deserted after he punted the two of you? Any idea?" Crete hadn't known of Osprey's whereabouts; did Atticus know more?

lol, Crete just kind of zoned out, so this is just like fluff, basically. Crete's a lot like Aether - even though that was totally unintentional. xD

It still seemed measurably odd to Crete that Hawkeye was so willing to accept them without rigorous interrogation. Would they be loyal? Would they abandon when the harsh of winter had passed? What skills did they possess? Why had they left their previous homes in the first place? Why did they choose Blacktail Deer Plateau (there had been a brief flush of embarrassment in Crete’s cheeks when he had realized that he had been thinking the wrong name for a few days now - luckily, he could not speak so it wasn’t as if he had spoken the incorrect name) out of the other two packs that inhabited these lands? Granted, Crete understood that he should have been grateful that she was so accepting - if she had interrogated him she would have been morbidly disappointed. Which had brought Crete to another absent point as Hawkeye and Peregrine exchanged quips about Redleaf-DiSarinno male genitalia - that there had been the uncertainty that any other pack would take a mute. Atticus breaking the surface of his thoughts when he mentioned about Peregrine living vicariously through him and Crete. A sneer tugged at the edges of Crete’s lips in response, but it faltered a bit when Hawkeye addressed Atticus in the matter of being useful ‘as your brothers’ she had spoken, but Crete felt a stab of shame. Sure, he had done some patrols, had helped to fill some of the caches with Peregrine…and while it was contributing he hardly considered it useful.

His talents had, like Aether’s own, lain in the heavens - mental mapping of the stars positions, reading them, and predicting weather patterns. He also wasn’t half bad at being a medic, either. Despite that being born mute had given Crete the ability to adapt to his disability with skill and ease having known nothing else, however, there were still times when verbal communication would have been simpler and he was filled with frustration - mostly when wolves who were not adapt at reading his body language misunderstood. Wolves were good with body language by nature, but he supposed that perhaps his, since he was rely solely upon it, dependant upon it as he was, had made it more complicated depending upon what he was attempting to communicate. Being around siblings and wolves whom had known him since his birth had spoiled Crete a fair deal, and he knew it. The only way to break it would be to venture out of the circle of his siblings and socialize in the only way Crete knew how with other wolves - strangers.

It occurred to Crete in that moment, feeling as it someone had shoved a rusted, jagged knife in his heart and twisted, his brow furrowing, sea-green eyes growing dark, that maybe Tyrannus hadn’t exiled him because he perceived the mute as a threat, but maybe because he had perceived him as useless. Hadn’t Peregrine himself say, in a more vague manner, that Crete wasn’t a threat. Dispelling those painful thoughts, he shifted, anxious, wanting this meeting to be over so he could go brood alone - though slipping away from his brothers, no matter how much joy their presence brought him, might prove to be something of a challenge.

table by houkie

"Damn. Are you boys sure that this would be the last family member? The ranks are getting full here." She turned to Peregrine. "And I am sure that your sister has a bigger penis than you." A sly grin formed on her face as she looked over the reactions the three males were giving.

Looking at Atticus once more, she gave a single head-nod. "I am sure you will be as useful as your brothers are. I am glad to have them in my pack." She hoped that the four of them would meet again soon; she was having much more fun than being a recluse, and it felt like her old nature was back.

table by houkie

UGH I GOT REMOVED FOR INACTIVITY BEFORE MY FREAKING JOINING POST WAS FINISHED. HOW LAME. XD Sorry guys. <3 We can wrap this up anytime y'all are ready.

Indeed, while Atticus was quite caught up in the moment, he too was entertaining thoughts much the same as those Crete was having: why was their acceptance into the pack so easy? He had expected to be thoroughly grilled and interrogated before receiving the final nod of acceptance. Instead, they'd exchanged a few tasteless jokes and shazam – welcome to the pack. It was odd. Was Hawkeye simply an inexperienced Alpha who didn't know any better? Had Peregrine and Crete so impressed her that she merely assumed their brother would also be a worthy addition to her pack without the need for questioning? Or – he felt himself blush hotly beneath his dark fur – was it simply the promise of a gigantic penis that bought him entry into the pack?

Only time would tell. He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind to ponder later. Now wasn't the time.

"–your sister has a bigger penis than you," Hawkeye was saying tartly to Peregrine. Atticus couldn't help himself. He threw his head back in a rich bark of laughter. Oh yes, he liked this fiery gal a lot! It wasn't often Peregrine's obnoxious vulgarity could be so effortlessly matched and returned against him. Anyone who could handle his bullshit was most definitely an Alpha worth following.

When Atticus composed himself, he commented, "Oh yeah, you gotta watch your ass when Osprey's around." A grin crawled across his face as he eyed his brother again: "Except Perry likes it. You know." He made a big, obvious show of winking at Crete and Hawkeye, as if he were letting them in on some deep, dirty secret.

No one else seemed to acknowledge Peregrine's sincere concerns; they were all too busy joking about Osprey. His ears lay back impatiently, yet he decided he could repeat his question later, when there weren't so many distractions going on around them. Atticus probably just hadn't heard him. Peregrine's dusky blue-green eye slid sideways to Crete as if to ask, Is this how you always feel?

"Okay, okay..." the youngest brother said, "let's dial it down a bit before we scare her with our monstrous phalluses..." He grinned at his brothers. "I think we should go on a group tour. I'm sure there's still plenty of stuff for Crete and me to see." He looked to Hawkeye. "Lead us, madame?" he quipped, a clear play on words as he readied to fall into step behind her and beside his bros.