Blacktail Deer Plateau Be strong tonight

Just as he'd feared, Hawkeye seemed upset. Peregrine felt frustrated, mostly with himself. He took in her question and didn't respond immediately, thinking back on all the things that had drifted through his mind the past few days. He needed to think carefully before he spoke and do so tactfully.

"I could be totally wrong," he began. He began to present his argument, then something she'd said replayed in his brain and instead he added, "You're right. If you didn't want me by your side, you'd tell me. I am wrong." He thumped his tail, feeling a slight lift in his spirits as his stomach muscles unclenched.

After a moment, he mused, "I guess everything's been catching up to me. It all happened so fast: you and I becoming mates, me becoming Alpha. I'd never even set my sights on such a rank. I even said that when I first offered to court you. Do you remember?" His eyes were warm as he regarded her lovely face. "Now we're about to become parents... I guess it's all catching up to me and I feel a little overwhelmed.

But you're right," he continued in the next breath, "I just need to step up my game. I need to act like an Alpha male, do even better as your mate and, of course, do my best to be a good father. It's a lot and it's all challenging but... hey, with you at my side, I can do anything," he finished, leaning close to place a kiss on her collarbone, his eyes spotting the moose still lingering on the riverbank beyond Hawkeye's shoulder.