Redhawk Caldera There's not a road I know that leads to anywhere

Tiger seemed alarmed about something, though Peregrine didn't have time to guess why. Nightjar came closer and he welcomed his son's nearness with a wide sweep of his tail. While Tiger remarked on his changed appearance, his son's exclamation teased the ghost of a smile onto his suddenly grayed muzzle. Two of his three children appeared unaffected by what they had witnessed, which was good. Now he only needed to convince Raven that he would never, ever hurt her...

The boy's sudden declaration took him by surprise, causing the former Alpha's mouth to twist into a frown of consternation. Something about this scenario and his son's fascination with the dead Junior gave him a very morbid case of déjà vu. It brought him back to the day when he had discovered Pura gnawing on his dead loved ones' bones. Well, they hadn't been Junior's, after all, but at the time, he hadn't known that yet.

Suppressing a shudder, Peregrine decided to turn this macabre fascination into something good for the youngster's development. "It is never a happy thing, killing our kind, but it must be done sometimes to protect our family and pack. I only killed Junior because she threatened Wildfire. It has always been my way to eliminate threats. If you want to follow in my footsteps, NJ, I'd love to teach you to be a Warden. Is that what you want?" he asked, tentatively reaching out to touch his son's muzzle with his own.