The Heartwood The fall

His tracking took him fairly far today, though what Gamekeeper could possibly resist the temptation presented to him? Peregrine ghosted after the lame moose cow, waiting for her to finally fall to the ground. He could smell death on her; it was only a matter of time. It could be hours, though, or even a day or more. In the meantime, she was on the move, slowly but surely heading northwest and eventually leading him beneath the vibrant green canopy of a summer forest. It was called The Heartwood, if memory served.

For a while, he didn't bother worrying about his location. But when the cow came to a stop and began to graze halfheartedly, all he could do was watch and wait. And Peregrine's mind wandered. He found himself thinking of his sister, Osprey, and his former best friend, Blue Willow. By now, both of them would have been turned away from him by the likes of Lasher. Neither had come calling, which was good for all involved but also a little heartbreaking in its way. He refused to let onto any of that, though. He would harden his heart as much as possible and never let Fox or anyone else know of the cracks in the concrete.

After a while, he banished thoughts of them. But when the wind suddenly changed and he picked up traces of a familiar scent, Peregrine's mind leaped to another former pack mate. FitzDutiful, he thought, recollecting his daughter's recent message to him. Well, he wouldn't be calling for the other male right now, lest he spook the cow. But as he hunched down in the grass to take a catnap, he wondered if FitzDutiful truly meant his apology and what the conversation would be like if and when they eventually crossed paths.