Tagging: @Blue Willow @Dante @Lasher @Finley @Kaihra @Kisu @Hawkeye @Sun Spark @Finn @Rina @Amelie @Pura @Tytonidae @Saēna @Fox :)
Peregrine sat alone in the center of the rendezvous site, seemingly batting at the air. Truthfully, he was testing the bone in his foreleg. He was almost certain it was fully mended now, though it creaked ominously. At length, he set it down on the ground. He would have to ask Blue Willow about it later.
Right now, he intended to rally the pack together. Pointing his nose skyward, he summoned them with a deep howl. "Please come to the rendezvous site for a quick meeting before we hunt to celebrate Junior's safe return to the plateau. We'll feast together to honor Hawkeye and Saēna, as Osprey would not be here if not for them."
When his voice trailed away into silence, he fidgeted slightly. He was a little apprehensive about how the pack would receive the news—some personal, some business—he intended to impart on them today. The Alpha steadied himself with a deep breath and waited.
Blue wondered if he would speak of his current duo of lovers or if he would keep that to himself and her and them. Truth be told Blue did not know how she felt about the little fiery red furred one, she certainly hoped they could be friends, but you didn't get a wound like that by minding your manners, but Peregrine was the main leader and his word was law and she accepted that and she would not keep him or even lasher from this little bit of happiness that they both deserved and it was not in her nature to be unkind to anyone anyway.
Blue Willow had already arrived by the time Fox got there, and the redhead avoided her as best as she could, if only because she was still unsure how to act. The fireball planted herself close enough to Perry that she could feel his fur brush up against her own, though she was on the opposite side from Willow. There, she waited, glancing nervously around as the others arrived.
Her father called, as he'd told them he would, and Osprey Jr. cried out to her fellow pups, "C'mon, you guys, it's time for my party!" and made a beeline toward the rendezvous site. She exploded from the brush to find her father flanked by Blue Willow and Fox (who she'd only seen in passing so far). The growing pup ran directly to her dad and mashed herself into the space between his forelegs, facing outward. When Peregrine made no move to push her away, she settled comfortably.
Peering around his leg in Fox's direction, she said to the nervous-looking she-wolf, "You're not black." It was just a curious observation. Almost all wolves in the tightly-knit plateau pack were black and it just surprised her that someone evidently so close to her daddy would be so different, that was all.
Surely nothing could overshadow the lightness in every plateau wolf's step this day. He had seen nothing on his border travels unusual save the normal joinings. Yes one of them bore a rival scent but Dante figured her to be a simple defector. The ginger female's nearness to Peregrine now, however, spoke differently. Interested in what would be said, Dante sat quietly and attentively.
She was reminded of it as they walked, however, and knew she would be expected to be polite no matter what. It was easy enough, yet still she was nervous. Junior rushed ahead, coaxing Saēna to pick up her own pace. For whatever reason, the bullied child wouldn't allow the dark Warrior-in-training out of her sight lately... Probably because of some secret, hidden blame she placed on herself for Junior's last disappearance.
She arrived to find Blue Willow, Dante, and some weirdo red wolf that stuck out like wildfire among the dark-furred Plateau wolves. Her eyes fixed on the newcomer for a while, scrutinizing, before she turned them to her
pleased that peregrine was intending to formally announce the pair of lovers he had taken, and convinced of the plateau's love for their leader, lasher answered the panther's summons with a gently waving plume. he met the eyes of peregrine first, and secondly fox, who seemed unsure. granting her an encouraging smile, the delta turned to blue willow, reaching out to preen her shoulder for a moment before he took up a position alongside dante opposite that of the pale girl. good job, he whispered to her, lowering his muzzle closer to her level. she had been strong in following whatever had led her to osprey, and he was proud of her.
She pressed on still, despite how distant she felt from the wolves she'd soon be joining. Granted, she hadn't put much effort into getting to know the Plateau wolves and she knew she was to blame for that. The whole pack would be gathered here now. At the least the meeting would be an opportune time to acquaint herself with her packmates and to observe more clearly how their pack dynamics worked.
Kaihra lowered herself as she approached the gathering wolves and noticed she was still one of the first to arrive. She scanned the clearing for the packmates she knew more than just in passing and recognized only Blue Willow and Peregrine. She assumed the small dark pup who sat between Peregrine's legs was his prodigal daughter, Osprey Jr.. The others she did not know, but they were clearly pack. As she scented the air she noticed one carried a different scent. Normally Kaihra would have assumed her to be a new arrival, but as her eyes flashed to the fiery she-wolf standing to the side of Peregrine, she found herself wary the proximity of their stance, the way her fur brushed up against his, and the scars that cut through her rusty fur. Kaihra settled herself quietly on the outer rim of the gathering and stilled the unease that began to return to her paws.
Show me where my skin begins.
But as she walked into the clearing, following Saēna's entrance she felt the sweetest taste in her mouth as she saw the look in her leader's face. His burderns had been lifted from his shoulders --she didn't know how true that was after his confession to the pups. Her yellow eyes watched the greeting between father and daughter. The whole scene was enough to melt anyone's heart away.
As was the fire coated female next to them. Amelie had been so busy watching the Alpha and his dear girl greet each other that she had missed entirely the presence of the pretty stranger. From where she was she could see her scar on her chest, and the exhausted look in her eyes. Had Peregrine taken her into the pack?The teen sniffed with curiosity before settling next to the pale pup that had so been an active member in Osprey's rescue mission. "Hello Saēna" she whispered sweetly to the girl.
Rina soon found herself slowing to a trot, and then a walk, as she came upon her fellow packmates. Most were new to her. She shot a smile at Junior and nodded kindly to both Peregrine and Blue Willow. The girl seated herself beside a younger wolf, with deep dark fur. After a quick smile in her direction, Rina carefully scanned her packmates, starting on the far side. About half way through, Rina stopped. Shocked she stared at the red female. Fox? Could it be? Her old alpha here? She hadn't seen her since she was... taken. A smile tinted her lips as she looked at the fiery-coated woman. Rina would try and talk with her later. It was just now that Rina noticed the wounds all over her ex-alpha's body. Worry concerned her eyes. She'd think about it later.
Returning her attention to the meeting she awaited others to arrive. Excitement tingling through her.
When Finn had first stepped out into the vast lands of the Teekon Wilds, it had never ocurred to him that he'd join a pack. And yet there he was, attending to another wolf's call as it were the most important thing in the world. He had taken Ferdie's advice though, he had thought upon his decision before vowing to be loyal to the Plateu. This had been a choice that had not been as erratic as his entrance to the clearing.
With his tongue hanging from his mouth and his chest fur casually messy and ruffled he padded close to the little gathered group of his new packmates. His eyes scouted each one of the members sitting, before moving onto the ones standing. There was a juvenile reaching down to a younger pup, and a male seating not so far. He decided to stay away from the pup since he had learned they were whiny creatures.
As the silver colored boy took a seat in the back of the crowd, his eyes raking through Blue's face and then Peregrine's. He watched too the heart wrenching scene of pup uniting with father, but unlike Amelie he didn't have an aww! for them. what he did have on the other hand was an ahh! as he recognized the fiery silhouette of the girl he had met by the creek.
His tail began to drum lightly against the ground and his ears pricked with interest as he watched her stand --looking like a lost sheep-- next to Peregrine. What was she doing here? Wasn't she from a pack in the Creek? That's what he had thought by what she had said at the end.. Of course Finn didn't know she had in fact belonged to the Creek, but not as a regular member but as the queen.
"Feisty Fox" he murmured while shooting a blinding smile in her direction. She had to remember Mr. Hunky.
Once she had managed to settle herself down, Tytonidae stared dumbly at the crowd. She didn't know exactly what they were going to do, nor did she understand why they were all celebrating Osprey's return. Tytonidae had tried to explain to them that Osprey had been here all along, but nobody seemed to believe her. That had squashed any notion of her speaking up about that again.
There was a very bright, very red creature sitting next to Doopee (Peregrine, for the uninitiated). Pura squinted his metallic eyes at her, nostrils flaring as he attempted to pull her scent in from a distance. She wasn't black, he thought, having arrived too late to hear Junior say it.
When she arrived, she immediately spotted a small red wolf sitting very close to Peregrine. Extremely close. Too close. A hint of a glare twitched in her eyes, but not due to romantic jealousy. It was the fact that Hawkeye recognized the color of her fur, but not her face. Where have I seen that color before? the dark female wondered in her head. She closed her eyes, trying to picture something, anything, but nothing.
Taking a deep breath in, she decided to look for all of the pups, choosing to sit next to Kisu's little boy since she had the same frame of mind... an escape as soon as possible. Looking down at the white and grey-ish blue dappled male, a small smile appeared on Hawkeye's face. His coloring was nearly identical to Pied's, except the spots were more grey than hers. The female bent down and nuzzled him for a moment, before turning her attention to Peregrine.
The male's tail waved happily and he positioned himself next to the dark girl. "Hello," he whispered to her, and then laid a kiss on his daughter's head, wondering what both of their reactions would be.
Fin had to admit, she had excellent timing. She had just been out for a romp beyond the Plateau boundaries when she heard Peregrine's voice calling to his pack to gather. Quickening her pace, she answered the summons as quickly as she could, though it didn't take her long to realize that she was one of the last to arrive as she entered the circle of her packmates. She shot the alphas an apologetic half-smile and sauntered over to seat herself beside one of the gathered bodies.
The softness of her gaze flowed swiftly across the smallest of the wolves gathered, trying to spot one that she did not recognize. Finley hadn't been a part of the pack when Osprey Junior had gone missing, but it hadn't been long before her packmates had filled her in. Finally, her eyes landed on one happy little face that was unlike the any she had seen on the Plateau. Her tail began to wag and a smile danced across her lips at the site of the family's joy.
It was this smile she turned to share with her neighbor, only to have it switch almost instantly into a look of disbelief as she recognized the face at her side. "Are you kidding me..." Fin whispered rhetorically at Finn. Fighting the urge to ask the male if he had followed her to the Plateau in an attempt to shadow her life completely, she turned her attention back to Peregrine to see what he had in store for his pack. She could address this weirdness with her male double later when their alphas weren't around to babysit.
She had regained her health and was looking a lot better than, when she had left. The most important thing, however, was the fact that she was back to her old self - optimistic, ready to seize the world, dive in the sea of adventures, tackle problems and in the end have a good laugh about it all. Once Osprey had felt whole again, she had known that it was time to keep her promise and return to Peregrine. She felt a little guilty for leaving him, when he had been in such a dark place too, but, knowing him, she hoped that everything had resolved by now.
The territories of Plateau wolves were not that hard to find, the forest they resided in met her with a myriad of smells of wolves that resided there. She stopped there for a little while, tasting the air and looking for one scent in particular and after finding it, smiled to herself and entered the lands. She had not gone far, when she heard the summoning howl, requiring all of the members to make an appearance. Hearing Peregrine's voice after all this time made her heart leap in joy and it took all her strength not to rush as fast as she could to him. After all she technically was a trespasser, regardless of her relations to the alpha.
Therefore she chose a a careful and quiet stride, slowing it, once she approached the place, where all of the wolves had gathered. She decided to keep her distance and settled down in the shadows - far behind the last wolf, who had joined the group, out of sight of the rest of the pack.
Soon Peregrine found himself surrounded by his pack mates. Blue Willow sat on one side, Fox on the other and Junior planted herself right between his forelegs. Considering he'd thought her dead not long ago, he wasn't about to ask her to find a seat elsewhere (though he did lightly bonk her for her comment). Nor did he make any effort to coax Tytonidae out from her position behind the leadership. The other pups situated themselves nearer Dante, earning a nod of approval from the pack's swarthy patriarch. He made a point to favor his palest daughter with a smile, since she was one of the few being honored.
When Hawkeye appeared, Peregrine felt a sense of trepidation pass through him. He expected not everyone would show the same acceptance and grace as Blue Willow had and he was prepared for that possibility. But he wondered if his former wife might make a scene when she found out the news. Ever since losing her crown and then her mate, she had been understandably distant. Peregrine knew she felt jilted and resented him greatly, even if the feeling wasn't mutual. He expected some measure of backlash.
When all had gathered save for one, Peregrine's ears splayed. Where was Atticus? Failing to respond to the Alpha's call previously was one thing but not showing up at a formal pack gathering was another. He felt he would have no choice but to demote his brother for this. Then he began to worry. What if there was an ominous reason behind his brother's recent absence?
Yet he could not hold off on the meeting. Pushing his concerns aside, Peregrine spoke. "First of all, I'd like to welcome Junior back," Peregrine said, draping a leg across his daughter's shoulder, "and recognize Hawkeye and Saēna for their part in bringing her home. We will hunt together and feast in your honor," he told the three of them, eyes sparkling even when they settled on his former mate.
"Before we head out to hunt, I have other news as well. I'm glad you're all sitting down," he quipped wryly, then suddenly motioned for Lasher to move nearer and glanced sideways at Fox. "You might have noticed this fiery redhead attached to me lately. Her name is Fox. She was the ruler of Swiftcurrent Creek but came here to be with me. Since we have a very worthy Alpha female already, she's been given our vacant Beta female rank." He paused, wondering if anyone would find fault with this. His heart began to thump faster. "And she is not my only romantic interest. You all should know that I also consider myself bonded to Lasher."
He paused for a very pregnant moment before wrapping up his brief speech by saying, "My word is law and I expect everyone in my pack to respect it. If you can't find it within yourself to do that, you are free to leave the plateau without hard feelings." The Alpha male fell silent, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.
As Peregrine began she shot the child beneath his legs a grin and then she flinched slightly when he began to speak about Fox and Lasher, because she knew there was no way that it would be taken lightly and she actually wanted to gasp at his next words when he all but said you can take it or leave it. That she didn't think he should have done, it was everyone's right to have their own opinion. In a way he was taking that away from them all, but she did not say anything as she had already said she would support him and she would, she just felt he could have been a little more tactful. She did give him a soft smile at his comment about her.
Others filtered in, some familiar and some not. Pura stood behind her, towering over her tiny form but earning an adoring headbutt to the chest from his sister, despite his less-than-pleased face upon seeing Fox. Kisu punctuated his arrival by planting a kiss atop her head, which made Saēna flinch despite herself. She had only recently come to learn that Peregrine and Hawkeye were not her true parents, and that Kisu was her real dad... It was still surreal, and she was still in denial. Being kissed by him felt strange, but eventually she would probably become accustomed to it. Hawkeye arrived as well, taking a seat next to Pura and, like the others around her, earning a winning smile from her adoptive daughter.
Eventually, Peregrine began to make announcements. The girl ducked her head shyly when he mentioned her name, even though she was pleased to be recognized. The rest of the news mostly went over her head. Some of it was about a hunt, which she knew she was probably too young to participate in, and some of it was about Peregrine's new special friends. Having received the news with neutrality herself (mostly because she didn't really get it), she wasn't expecting anything miraculous to come from that announcement, and didn't entirely understand why it was even needed (even though it was very significant in the adult world).
"His word is law!" she echoed her father as he finished, unaware of the weight of his words and, particularly, their possible effect on her mother. Aside from Fox's coloration, she really didn't care what the adults did or who shared her father's affections. Love simply wasn't a finite resource in Osprey Jr.'s experience and she had never been particularly prone to jealousy herself.
As he spoke, Pura's colourless eyes drifted to Fox again. He understood the importance of the Beta rank - Blue Willow had occupied it once, as had Atticus; wolves that had been with the pack since the pups' birth. To entrust this fiery strange with the job... The freckled boy could not explain his feelings, but there they were, burning in his stomach like a poorly chosen meal. The rest was as lost on him as it was the other pups; something about bondage and threesomes and Lasher, whose keen interest in Uncle Doopee still made Pura a little uncomfortable.
"His word is law!" Junior squeaked from center stage. Pura reached his muzzle forward to give his hero of a sister another wet kiss to the back of the head; Peregrine's bat-eared daughter had the capacity to be wildly annoying, but she was one of the Original Pieces, and Pura's world felt less scattered now that she was back where she belonged.
As Peregrine began to speak he listened attentively. The first news took him more by surprise than the second. Dante had no reason to question Peregrine's choices as far as a life partner went nor did his adoption of Lasher as such give him any qualms. Dante was quite a forward thinker in this, his own romantic inclinations being just as unconventional. No, this did not phase him at all.
Fox's appointment as Beta, however, left something to be desired to the male. He couldn't help but think that Peregrine was jumping the gun on that one. Fox did not know the plateau and most of the wolves here had yet to meet her, Dante included. While he was sure that they would get along fine he didn't quite like the idea of one who was so new to the plateau being elevated so quickly. He would keep his mouth shut on the matter, though. If he trusted Peregrine, then so be it. He had obviously known Fox quite a bit longer and knew what she was like. Dante knew that Peregrine loved his pack first and foremost... he would never do something to jeopardize their position here. If he trusted Fox, then so be it.
None of it made sense to Kisu, who was strictly a traditional wolf. Male plus female, mated and loyal for life. First, he left Hawkeye, the mother of his children. And now he has two mates? One of them male? This is absurd. Kisu would have thought what the fuck? if it had been in his character to do so.
A small narrowing of his brow showed, but only if another wolf was right beside him. He didn't like what Peregrine was doing, but, like many others, would not say anything.
Edit: letter missing on a word