Redhawk Caldera Hitting the tables without you again

Peter and Ferret, though very different in looks and personality, had one thing in common - thick skulls. Though the unlucky fall and hit in the tree had not gone without consequences (bad headache for few days, a bleeding nose and occasionally forgetting, where he was and how he had got there), he was otherwise fine. The food conditions had not improved by great measure and the poor nutrition had already effects on the small cub - the bones were prominent under his pelt and he, who had already stayed behind in growing up with the rest of the cubs seemed to have stopped doing that altogether. 

Today the boy was hanging around the rendezvous place, being busy with chewing the antler his mother had brought the other day.

Making up for not being able to spree yesterday. ;)

Link to roll.

He failed. The wild pig outran him, disappearing into the distance and leaving the winded Peregrine no choice but to slow to catch his breath. His muscles twitched with exertion and he was struck with a sudden bout of dizziness that forced him to sit and hang his head low between his shoulder blades. He had given every single scrap of his kills to his mate and children the past several weeks but he had actually intended to eat whatever he caught today. He laughed hollowly, wondering if he had already pushed himself beyond the point of return. What if he weakened, declining rapidly, and perished? Where would that leave his family?

Fending off a headache, Peregrine slowly rose and headed uphill. He needed to rest a while, collect himself, then head back out to hunt. It was his only way of gathering energy these days, what with the lack of food, and even after a good hour's rest, he would still be running on fumes. Make a catch, he coached himself as he plodded toward the rendezvous site, then use that energy to move your family. Of course, he was feeling hungry and desperate at the moment. Maybe this wouldn't feel so urgent once he had some food in his belly.

Guess again, though: when Peregrine arrived at the pack's heart and saw the frail Peter gnawing on a bone, his heart sank into his feet. His children had stopped growing. It now seemed the youngest was actively shrinking. The Alpha found himself fighting a lump in his throat as he approached Peter and nosed gently between the pup's ears and murmured a quiet apology.

Peter was too young to understand the concept of "blaming someone", therefore, when it came to his parents and extended family and the lack of food, he had neither expectations, nor any grudges towards them. He did go and ask for food every time he met them and felt a little sad, when it didn't appear right away, but that did not lessen his affection towards them.

Therefore - no matter, how bad Peregrine felt for his son's state, Peter was glad to see him as always. He let out a happy squeak and reached up to nuzzle his father's chin. "Eeeep!" he told him, nosing the bone first and then putting a paw over, informing the adult that this belonged to the little boy.

Peter didn't seem to hold his father's empty hands against him, though that didn't lessen the burden of guilt on the father's shoulders. What if he was just being stubborn and sentimental and, by staying here another day, he unknowingly doomed one (or more) of his children to death? That thought caused his blood to run cold. Even as his littlest son made a pleasant eep! noise, he struck out a paw and hugged it around Peter's small, frail frame and hugged him closer.

"Any marrow left in that bone?" he murmured doubtfully, slipping onto his haunches with a sigh and tugging young Peter ever nearer. "Wanna take a nap with me, little buddy? Then I'll go out and try to find more food." The smile he directed down at the child did not reach his hollow, hungry eyes.

Peregrine did not seem to be interested in the bone too much, but, since Peter had learned that, if you did not claim things properly, they were taken away from you (Ferret had been good at teaching his brother to begin to stand up for things that mattered for him a lot), he growled in reply to his father's question.

The instant his father had sat down, Peter did his signature move, by raising to his hind-feet and balancing his forepaws against his father's side, reaching up as far and high he possibly could. He then burried his muzzle in the black pelt and made sounds that almost reminded of a kitten purring.

He slid forward, his belly flush with the earth, providing the perfect platform upon which Peter could climb. A small smile played about his lips as the runt did just that. The pressure of his little paws felt good, though it also reminded Peregrine of his son's smallness. If he didn't get proper nutrition, he wouldn't flourish and grow. And pups didn't just stay little forever. They either grew up or they perished.

"Apparently," the Alpha murmured, curling slightly to look at the clambering pup, "there's some greenery past the mountains. What do you think of a road trip?" He wasn't expecting an answer, of course, since young Peter barely spoke yet and wouldn't have known anything about the subject. It was sort of a rhetorical question anyhow. Peregrine chewed on his lower lip, staring pensively past the boy's head, in the general direction of aforementioned mountains.

Of course, Peter did not understand, what his father was saying, but - had he been able to - he would have told him that he would be ready to go anywhere with his family. It was in his very nature not to think too much, but trust those, who appeared bigger and smarter than him, and follow them without a question. However, little boy's case was a bit more complicated than that. He was nowhere near fit for travel. 

It was a sad irony - he would most likely perish, if he remained here. And if they were to walk a long distance to the place, where the grass was literally greener, he would face the same fate. He already was running on low battery and was recently in habit of not wandering anywhere far from the play place for the simple reason that he did not have the energy. 

But Peter was oblivious to the danger that loomed ahead, he was living in the present moment and the most important thing for him was to climb up his dad's neck and get a hold of his ear.

He had decided to look into his options the moment Lasher had made known to him the possible hope beyond the mountains, yet Peregrine had not yet acted on his decision. He hadn't even floated it past Fox yet. He supposed he was secretly hoping the tables would turn, the situation would change and he wouldn't have to depart his family for a week or more, leaving them to fend for themselves while he desperately sought greener pastures. He was in no way looking forward to such an expedition, though he knew he must face facts within the next couple of days. A glimpse of Peter's skinny ribs was a stark reminder of that... if the hourglass hadn't already run out on them.

When Peter began to chew his ear, Peregrine didn't protest. In fact, he leaned into it, making it easier for the boy. "If you want to eat it, I'm a willing sacrifice," he mused. It was true too. If Peregrine could spare his body parts to keep his pups fed, he would do it. He would donate his ears, his nose, his tail, maybe a few of his toes. He didn't need any of them. Hell, they could even have his bum eye. It was a morbid thought, though the Alpha would do anything to keep his babies healthy.

"Oho!" Peter squealed, when his fathter made it easier for him to grab his target and pull on it with his four feet firmly on the ground. He had no intention of ripping it off and eating it, it was plain fun to see, how far would it stretch. 

After few minutes of pulling and growling (that was for anyone, who would happen to pass by, to know that though small in size, he was a big-bad wolf inside) he grew tired of the activity, let it go and yawned: "AUwwwww..." 

Peter sat down then, eyeing his father expectantly, wondering, if he was going to offer any kind of game. Eljay was always quick to understand, what the boy wanted and how to provide it. Whether his father was as good - that was yet to be found out.

He wouldn't have called them words, per se, but Peregrine enjoyed the noises that came from Peter's mouth, especially since they bore no resemblance to his usual chant. He continued tipping his head to accommodate the boy, showing infinite patience as the pup stretched out the soft leather of his ear with his sharp little teeth. Eventually, though, Peter grew tired of this activity and slumped down in front of his father. Peregrine looked down, meeting the pup's expectant gaze.

"What'cha want?" he asked, tired but teasing, swiping a broad paw at the youngster in a motion to knock him flat. If he succeeded—if Peter cooperated, that was—Peregrine intended to give him a good and proper tickle.

Peter had little time to avoid the swipe - it hit him directly in the chest and he toppled over like a beetle. "Ow!" he huffed and blinked few time, looking up in sheer surprise. He did not know, what kind of game this was - usually he was offered a paw or tail that "ran away from him" not attacked him directly. So changing the roles and becoming the figurative "prey" was something entirely new. 

He rolled to his side and lifted his head to eye Peregrine quizzically.

Peter went down like a sack of potatoes (or maybe just one potato) and Peregrine chuckled under his breath at his puppy's startled reaction. He did not apply pressure or weight, careful not to harm the boy, though his paw momentarily rested atop Peter's body. He felt the frailty there, the bones stretching the skin and the lightness of his atrophied muscles. The father very nearly recoiled. His stomach clenched and he stroked his toes down Peter's tiny spine, feeling the knobs pressing against the underside of his paw.

Then Peter rolled out from beneath the Alpha's paw and gave him a quizzical look. Peregrine's eyes watered but he managed to huff a laugh at the endearing innocence of that expression. "You sure you don't want an ear, lil' Pete? Or maybe one of these?" He lifted his paw again, wiggling his black toes right in front of the cub's face. "I'm dead serious," he added in a low tone, jade eyes tracking over Peter's sunken face and skinny legs before slowly closing as a foreboding feeling came over him.

Peter watched his father wiggling his toes with the same awe as a little kid watches a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. He looked down at his own set of fingers and lifted one forepaw in order to repeat, what his father had done previously and... not having much success. He frowned, put his paw down and looked at his father for more clues. 

And much to his suprise he found the wolf sleeping (or so he thought). "Oy!" Peter exclaimed and walked over to his dad, batting his muzzle with the same paw that had proven unable to move fingers. Wake up! We are not done here!

His eyes flew widen open again at Peter's cry, a watery smile curving his lips. "I'm up," he assured the pup even as his paws came in contact with the Alpha male's muzzle. He leaned into the touch of those tiny paws, drawing in his son's scent. He resisted the urge to close his eyes again, as well as quelled a sudden and inexplicable urge to cry.

Although he didn't want to leave little Peter, Peregrine suddenly wanted to head off to hunt right this very instant, if only so he could bring something home to feed the starving whelp. He stood, though he didn't make a move to go anywhere just yet. He looked down at the pup, whose spirit shone brightly even as his little body wasted away. He meant to say something, something lighthearted, but found he couldn't speak around the lump in his throat.

Peter had managed to wake his father, but - what was this? He sat down and regarded him with a quizzical gaze. Was he leaving already? It then occurred to him that... maybe he could go with him? The boy, who had followed almost every wolf in the pack, could not boast as to having his father in the list. 

Therefore with a broad smile spread accross his facial features, he got to his feet too and with a wagging tail was ready to go, wherever his father decided to. Definitely - someplace interesting.

When Peter eagerly jumped to join him, the Alpha's mouth opened to say something, only to clap shut. He didn't have the heart to tell him no. He paused, deliberating, then motioned for his young son to follow him. Peregrine kept his pace slow, not only so Peter could keep up with him, but out of respect for their lack of energy. As urgent as their need for food, they could not afford to rush.

"I'll take you down to the rabbit warren, see if anybody's home," he announced. It wasn't something he would usually do with a pup Peter's age but if there was any possibility of putting the runt in proximity with fresh meat, well, that was a good thing. The burrows were close to the borders but Peregrine would keep a close eye on the baby boy.

Hell, if the circumstances weren't so depressing, he might jokingly use the kid as bait to draw in another (hopefully smaller) predator to kill and eat. But Peregrine couldn't even entertain the thought of something like that. He swallowed the lump in his throat and kept moving, soon escorting Peter past the usual boundary line of the rendezvous site.

Peregrine hesitated for a moment and Peter, who had received more "no, you can't come"s than "sure, tag along", had already learned to read the telltale signs of the expressions. Therefore at the same time his father tried to decide, whether to take his kid with him, the corner's of the kid's lips drooped down, so did his tail, while his eyes were still locked on his father. Asking for a permission.

And finally it was given - he "eeped" in happiness and followed his lead. Eager to know, where they were going, and feeling a tad bit smug for the fact that he - for a change - could act like an adult.

I figured we could wrap this here...? <3

"This is your first time busting outta the birdcage, isn't it?" Peregrine mused to Peter even as they broached the boundary line and headed downhill. "Stay close," he instructed with a twitch of his lips, noticing the extra pep in the pup's step. He cast a wary look around him every few seconds but otherwise kept his good eye trained on his son, enjoying his high spirits, even though there was something haunting about watching the skinny boy frolicking like this.

In days to come, he would reflect back on this moment and this lost opportunity to remind his son never to leave the rendezvous site without an adult and to never, ever go near the borders unsupervised. But he wasn't thinking of those things now. He was thinking only of how he could put some meat on those little bones and get Peter Pan's growth kick-started again. Because, despite his name, he wasn't meant to stay little forever...