Blacktail Deer Plateau Brothers under the sun

Last post from me in this thread! Atticus is overwhelmed and needs time to think.

Atticus was every bit as shocked as Crete when Peregrine submitted himself before them in full and total deference. No dignity or pride whatsoever was preserved in the gesture; in effect, the Alpha had taken off his crown and laid it at their feet, while putting himself fully and entirely at the mercy of their will. Confusion mixed with his anger and regret, and for a moment he felt sick and disoriented before all of those emotions fell away, leaving him feeling empty and lost inside. He wanted to believe Peregrine so much. So much of his heart leaped out to his brother, upon whom fortune had smiled so generously, but some parts of his heart yet still bore the wounds of Tyrannus's cruelty. It was too soon. It was simply too soon. If more time had lapsed between Tyr's betrayal and Peregrine's ascension in the ranks, Atticus would have celebrated. He would have hunted with his brother and feasted in his honor. But it was still just too soon.

Atticus gave him a level stare and arched a brow in disapproval. He had to know that neither Crete nor he would ever lift a paw against him in malice. Kill him? Forget it. "Ugh. Get up, Pencil Dick." No matter how fucked up life got, some things would never change. Peregrine would always be Pencil Dick, if nothing else. Shaking his head and sighing, he began to turn as if to leave. "I need time to myself to think. This is all too much too soon. I think…I might take some time away from the Plateau. If you want to demote me for that, then demote me. But I need to sort things out. Tyr left some big fucking scars…maybe it all affected me more than it affected you guys. I don't know." Some time away from everything would do him some good, he thought. Just time by himself to think, to be, to figure out where Tyrannus and Peregrine mixed within him and to cut them apart, separate them, toss out the infection Tyr had left behind. He pressed his forehead gently into Crete's neck for a moment, then cast one last meaningful glance at Peregrine before leaving the two.