Blacktail Deer Plateau Follow your heart, little child of the west wind

Peregrine sucked in a deep breath, held it, then let it out in a long, low whoosh. The air smelled and tasted crisp as he walked briskly through the woods, tracking rabbits and, with every success, further padding the pack's stockpiles. Although he still experienced some lingering aches and pains from his fight the week previous, he didn't let it trouble him, nor slow him down. Peregrine was dedicated—specifically, to Hawkeye and her plateau now—and he wouldn't let a trifling matter like that prevent him from pulling his weight.

The battle weighed on his mind today more than usual and Peregrine realized he should find Hawkeye and give her the details. Perhaps she would be pleased to hear what he'd done, though Peregrine didn't think long on that. He'd only done what any wild wolf would do instinctively. He recalled her sad expression the other day and wondered if she'd fret over him, though he decided she really didn't seem the type. It would be enough for him if she was simply happy to know he'd fully committed himself to the pack via his actions.

Stopping in a sun-dappled glade, Peregrine took in another breath, then threw back his head and called for the Alpha female. When the howl ended, he dropped his swarthy head, sniffed at the ground, circled three times and sank onto his haunches with a small sigh.

Hawkeye suddenly became anxious at the howl from Peregrine. Her chest tightened, and her breathing became heavy. Her heart raced. She didn't really know why she was so nervous, though; why these sudden feelings came about. The large female steadied herself and took a deep breath, letting it slowly out. Momentarily, Hawkeye wondered if the male would notice her own injury, though it was quickly healing and almost impossibly to see on her pitch black fur.

As she trotted up, she tried smiling, but it felt awkward. The male sat on his haunches, his features as handsome as they always were. "Hello, Peregrine." Her voice was almost sultry in sound, and a quiet disposition consumed her. They were both her for a reason, and she awaited the words of her subordinate.

She arrived promptly and Peregrine stood, then lowered his head and tail in deference to his leader. He kept his eyes on her onyx forepaws. "Hey, Hawkeye," he greeted, his voice more casual than his posture. Lifting his head slightly—though careful to keep it below the level of her own—the swarthy male waved his tail tentatively and woofed at her. "Hope I'm not bugging you."

Deciding to cut right to the chase, Peregrine said, "About a week ago, I intercepted a wolf near our borders. I attacked her and she fought back. I won in the end." His dusky eyes lifted to look at her face, then dropped again, as he waited to see what she would make of this news or whether she might ask him some questions. In his mind, that was all there was to it, yet Peregrine intuited that Hawkeye might consider the problem a bit more extensive.

Dozens of thoughts whipped through the mind of the dark she-wolf. An intruder? A she? And Peregrine... he fought her off? Shocked, her mouth fell agape and she quickly shut it.

Quickly moving forward, Hawkeye licked Peregrine's nose and then backed up once more. "First of all... thank you, Peregrine." Her sharp green eyes stared into his blue-green orbs, letting him know that she truly meant what she said. "What... what did this female look like? Do you know what exactly she was doing?" Hawkeye never pictured another wolf trying to infiltrate her borders, and it made her stomach queasy to know that while she was sleeping someone had cruel intentions. It looked like her night shift from Blackfoot Forest would take over once more.

When she moved forward, he stiffened, though Peregrine relaxed instantly when she gave his nose a companionable lick. Before she could draw away, he lapped at the side of her muzzle in return. It was interesting to consider how far they'd come in such a short time and how much Peregrine's attitude in particular had shifted since that first encounter.

"You're welcome. I was only doing what any wolf would've done: defending my pack's territory," he said modestly. When she questioned him, as he'd expected the might do, he said, "She was white with gold eyes. She had black paws. I have no idea what was going through her head or what possessed her to counterattack when I tried to chase her away," Peregrine finished with a slight frown and a shrug.

A loud growl escaped Hawkeye's throat. Jinx, you bitch she thought angrily. "I cannot believe that she would trespass on our lands and break the agreement that was forged between myself and Ahklut."

Red filled up the vision of the midnight wolf, and images of herself ripping the throat of Jinx played across her vision, taking her away from the present situation. After a few moments of bloodlust, she snapped herself back to reality. Peregrine sat in front of her.

"Are you alright? Are you healing okay? If there's anything I can do to help you..." She stopped, feeling as if she sounded desperate. She wanted nothing horrible to happen to any of her wolves, even if Peregrine had started off as an angry smart-ass.

Hawkeye's growl made Peregrine's breath catch in his throat. His ears splayed to the side and he crooked a foreleg, the ferocity of the noise taking him by surprise. When she spoke, he realized he wasn't the subject of her anger. Clearly, she knew the culprit. She mentioned an Akhlut, though of course Peregrine had no idea who he was or what any of this really meant.

She seemed to retreat into herself for a few beats and Peregrine waited, a feeling of unease causing him to shift from foot to foot. When she finally spoke again, he paused and bobbed his head, then quickly shook it. Although she'd been devilishly quick, the she-wolf hadn't done any lasting damage.

"I'm fine," he assured the Alpha female. A mischievous light glittered in his dusky eyes, brightening them. "I'm not sure I can say the same for her. I didn't deal her a fatal blow, unfortunately, but I pretty much tore off part of her face," he said with a touch of smugness, punctuating his words with a rumbling growl.

Although he wasn't a proud or vain creature, Peregrine quieted and, after a moment, said, "As long as I'm around, no one's going to get across our borders. My brothers will help guard too, I'm sure. Although I'm personally more of a hunter than a guardian... this is my home now and I take its defense very seriously."

Hawkeye nodded. "I am glad that you see this as your home." Then, she changed her beat. "But are you sure that your brothers would not be better protectors than you? You know, more masculine since they have bigger gentlemanly regions." She stifled a laugh as she looked into his beautiful eyes, then felt herself blush.

As for Jinx, she would go straight to Akhlut. Though she felt a strain on their pack "agreement", Hawkeye was enraged that a wolf was roaming her Plateau without her knowing. If any of her wolves entered lands like that, she herself would have their neck, let alone another pack's members. She was disgusted and felt violated by the female. And I thought we were becoming friends...

Peregrine fought the urge to roll his eyes. A retort then sprang to mind and, daringly, he let fly. "I assure you I'm not lacking in that department. If you like, I can prove it to you come mating season..." His tail gave a sort of predatory lash to complement his words. Although he had no active interest in pursuing her—the thought hadn't even crossed his mind until now—he suddenly felt instincts and impulses coming alive within him.

He kept his quips and flirtations in check, however, when he noticed the perturbed look on the Alpha's face. He wanted to offer his help, though he didn't know in what capacity he might be of assistance beyond his already proven guardianship. Still, Peregrine couldn't say nothing, not when his leader still seemed very preoccupied with the details of his altercation.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked after a moment, feeling slightly awkward and useless making such a generic inquiry.

Hawkeye dropped to the ground in a heap with a huff. "No," she stated quietly, but with power. She looked up and met Peregrine's eyes, hurt in her own. "We had a pact with the pack of Horizon Ridge, and it was broken by Jinx. I had thought that her and I were okay in terms of being on a friendly level, but I guess not. I just cannot believe that she was trying to sneak around like that." Hawkeye sighed and looked down.

After a moment, she looked up again but while laying her head on the ground. "I will have to take up patrolling at night again now. I prefer the dark anyway, but I don't feel very stealthy with all of this snow. I am sure you can relate... you are almost as dark as I am; your pelt is much prettier in my opinion, though. I like the sheen it has." Hawkeye dumped the mouthful on Peregrine, not caring how she sounded or looked; she wasn't in the mood to be even-keel and regal.

Although she answered no, she fell dramatically to the snowy earth and then began to vent. If she required a listening ear, he could provide one. Peregrine took a step nearer, then gathered his haunches beneath him and sat, his tail curling around his hindquarters so that its tip rested atop his dark toes. He gazed down at her and lightly brushed the top of her head with his muzzle.

"Jinx," he whispered quietly to himself, realizing it was the name of the devilish white she-wolf. Aloud, he added, "I can accompany you if you like or just keep up my own route. Probably smarter that way." Although they would certainly cover more ground if they split up, he sort of wanted to keep her company. Logic ruled, however, as Peregrine took after his pragmatic forebears.

Her compliment on his pelt made him feel slightly awkward again, though he mostly felt flattered. "Well, I only use the finest cleansers on it," he joked, paused, then said, "The lovely woodland creeks, that is. I also have Att or Crete brush it with a pine cone every morning." His tongue lolled from his maw in a wolfish laugh and, with a twinkle in his eye, Peregrine teased, "Are we flirting?"

A laugh huffed from her chest, something that did not happen often. "Well, maybe I will have the honor of brushing it someday." Half joking, half being honest. "I... suppose we are?" She whacked him with a paw and rolled onto her back, the fluff of her belly showing. Her mother would have smacked her if she knew that her daughter was lying in such a fashion in front of a male.

"I would prefer if we could patrol together... two is better than one, especially if Jinx returns with anyone in the future. It will probably take her time to heal, though; I see you being a fierce contender in a fight." She smiled up at the male, and her face grew hot.

He smirked a little at her self-conscious response, his own boldness increasing. "I would rather brush you," he rejoined in his deep timbre. She rolled over even as he said it, her belly suddenly exposed. Peregrine felt something pulling deep in his loins, a sensation which compelled him to arch his neck over her and skim his nose along the curve of her ribcage, then lightly ruffle the fur on her chest with his nose. All the while, his tail wagged.

"If Jinx comes anywhere near the plateau, I'll rip her to pieces," Peregrine promised with a sharp growl as he recollected the image of her fleeing away into the night, leaving behind a trail of blood. "I wouldn't put it past her to try her luck, though. She was incredibly obstinate."

He didn't want to linger on talk of Jinx, however. Grinning handsomely, Peregrine again tickled his nose along Hawkeye's breastbone as he said, "I'd be happy to keep you company then." So much for pragmatism. "And I'm pretty savage when I want to be. Maybe that's another thing I can show you when rutting season's in full swing." He resisted the temptation to wiggle his brow, though the look in his eye was both impish and carnal.

Hawkeye only blushed at Peregrine's comment and sighed lazily. She listened to his words of violence towards Jinx, and then she wondered how the rest of the pack would feel about their home being touched with a foreign, unwelcome paw.

With his nose touching her, she rolled back over, swiping a paw on his neck to hold him still and then licked his mouth. "You better watch out, Peregrine, I am a savage beast myself." Her voice was low and appealing, and the rumble sounded almost foreign to Hawkeye.

When her tongue touched his muzzle, it sent a pleasant warmth through him. Smiling a wolfish smile, Peregrine gently wrenched himself free and stood, then motioned for her to do the same. When she stood alongside him, he nipped at her cheek, tugging gently on the short, soft fur there.

He then backed up a few steps and began swinging his head side to side, while simultaneously stomping his forepaws. He bowed slightly, paws still thumping, and growled playfully. His tail rose into the air and bobbed back and forth, much like a cat's as it stalks its prey.

"I don't want to wait 'til spring. Let's see if we can keep up with each other's savagery right now," he rumbled, inviting her to a friendly spar with a slight baring of his fangs and a sharp, goading bark.

Her chest swelling in excitement, she growled back at him playfully and swatted at Peregrine in almost a cat-like way, then assumed a downward dog position. (ooc: I swear to G-word, my dog does this so I am calling it fair game). The large beast open and shut her jaw in her frenzy, the energy bursting from her frame.

"You're going down, penis-man." She teased him and quickly jumped back and forth, as a boxer would. Her tail swayed as she rose her rump into the air once more, and wiggled it back and forth, aiming an attack that she knew was precise (she was a great hunter)

Lunging forward, she decided to try strike for the neck first.

(edited out roll)

I'm actually kind of worn out on using the combat system, so do you mind if we just role play it normally? (Normally, if we were going to incorporate it, we'd roll in SP and post here.) :)

She responded enthusiastically, assuming the position, then lunging at him with a battle cry. Peregrine laughed at her remark and tried to jump aside, yet only halfheartedly. He felt the Alpha female's muzzle smack into his neck and it hurt, though not too badly. At the same time, he arched his own neck and snarled terribly in her ear as if readying to tear off Hawkeye's face just like he'd done to Jinx. Instead, he poked his tongue in it, then swiftly bounded backward.

"Told you I was a savage," he quipped, his tongue lolling from his swarthy muzzle. His dusky blue-green eyes glittered as he regarded his opponent. He admired her sleek, muscular body and thought to himself, You know... she's kind of beautiful. He'd realized from the first that she was strong, fierce and primal—all the qualities of a well-bred Alpha female—but he wouldn't have used this particular descriptor until just now.

"Come at me, Hawkeye," he invited her a moment later, looking rather silly as she pranced on the tips of his toes, something he'd only allow certain wolves—apparently including Hawkeye now—to ever witness.

She yelped at the feel of his tongue in her ear, due to surprise. She narrowed her brow at the silly boy but then laughed when he danced around and threw playful words at her. "I am going to call you 'Prancing Perry' from now on." She said this while making observations, but stood there with a stone face.

Suddenly, she barked and leaped forward to nip at his feet in hope of throwing him off balance. Hawkeye had not play-fought since her big brother, and it felt like she was pouring grease on rusted joints. Peregrine seemed to be the only wolf she could have true fun around lately.

When she leaped for his feet, her tongue swiping his toes, Peregrine emitted a noise somewhere between a girlish screech and a surprised bark. He hopped out of reach, then whirled to face her even as he said, "Going for the toes! Well, if you're going to play dirty, so am I," he warned jokingly, a grin breaking out on his face at his new nickname.

Peregrine, also known as Prancing Perry, maneuvered himself to stand perpendicularly to Hawkeye. Before she could swing 'round to face him, he tried to latch onto her scruff. Should he succeed, he would bounce overtop of her and force her to sink to the ground beneath his weight.

Hawkeye laughed devilishly at his comment, but her face dropped and a gasp of surprise escaped her when he suddenly appeared beside her and grabbed onto her scruff. She tried wheeling around to no avail; he was not hurting her, but he had an iron grip on her. The black female let a whine escape her in an attempt to thwart Peregrine.

She whined, yet he didn't loosen his grip. He held fast and maneuvered himself, pressing her down to the ground and then easing himself on top of her and finishing the job by applying his weight to her hips and hindquarters. He felt a thrill at performing this act on the Alpha female, yet he didn't thirst for power.

His was currently experiencing another appetite altogether. Letting go of her scruff, Peregrine slid his muzzle alongside her ear and suggestively growled, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Sit still." He then backed up a few steps to position himself further down her back. He lowered his head and tickled her spine with his cool nose.

When he neared her backside, he gave her a little nip on the rump. Peregrine then straightened, braced his forelegs on either side of her rib cage, then lowered his hips behind her and moved them suggestively against her once, twice and three times.

Simultaneously, he arched his head forward to whisper in her ear again. This time, he said, "How do you like them apples?" and then attacked the curve of her throat with nibbles and licks meant to tickle her.

ooc: OH. MY. GAWD. is this Peregrine's attempt at seducing her??? hahahaha

She tried shimmying under his weight until he told her to sit still, which she immediately obeyed without question. A yelp of surprise flew from her mouth once more when he bit her ass. Her eyes went wide, not being familiar with any of the actions or touches.

Then he -- was he attempting to hump her? The shock began to pass quickly, though, and something stirred in her stomach. She had never felt like this before, and the primal instinct was telling her to act now.

When he posed the question at her she growled and waggled her rump, daring him to follow through with his little joke.

ooc: wolf porn?? >__>

When she squirmed underneath him, Peregrine felt a fire licking in his belly. Although he wanted to proceed, especially since Hawkeye seemed so willing, he ceased his attack and stepped away from her. He especially didn't want their movements to elicit an unwanted and embarrassing physiological response.

"Told you I could play dirty too," he said in a rather sultry voice, nipping at her ear. Silkily, he added, "Consider that a little taste of what I'd like to do to you when the timing's right..." He trailed off, wondering when Hawkeye would be in season and whether she might allow him to breed with her then. He knew wolves tended to be mates before they procreated together but, in his experience, it wasn't a requirement. And the urge to pass on his genes was strong.

Feeling a little hot and bothered, Peregrine sat in front of her and gazed curiously down at Hawkeye. "Are you hoping to have pups this season?" he wondered in a more serious voice.

Hawkeye squirmed and let out an exasperated groan we he stepped away. The fog from her mind cleared quickly and a what are you doing! screamed in her head. This was the first time she had ever done anything remotely sexual with a male, and she felt very self-conscious and wondered whether or not she did something wrong. Maybe she had just taken playtime too seriously and let her emotions take over.

She swallowed nervously at his question, righting herself and sitting in a regal fashion. "I -- well. Yes? I.. I need to find a suitable mate first." She looked down and cleared her throat, sneaking a look at Peregrine's reaction to find any clues to what he might be thinking.

She said the word mate, which he noted with interest. So Hawkeye required a formal bond prior to producing any litters. He pondered this a moment. He'd never been close to a she-wolf besides Osprey, who was his sister, and he'd never aspired to find a mate and father pups. With his new life at plateau came many changes, however, and as he looked down at Hawkeye, he did so lustfully and longingly.

"I would like to offer myself. I'm not after the rank beside you," Peregrine said slowly but deliberately, "but I would like the honor of being by your side and fathering your pups. If you'll have me, that is," he added a little hastily, with a chivalrous dip of his swarthy muzzle.