The Heartwood The fall

Bindi departed, unbeknownst to Peregrine, who lay unconscious for several more hours before Fox arrived. He did not rouse when she called out to him, though the licking did the trick. His eyelids fluttered and he groaned for a few seconds before stiffening suddenly and snarling. He tore himself away from the licking sensation with his lips peeled back in angry confusion. He was unaware of what had happened, or of the time that had passed, and assumed it was Bindi tonguing his face.

But it was Fox. Peregrine's face fell slack as he stared at her in confusion. He then looked around for Bindi but saw no sign of her. The moose cow was long gone too. There was something else odd about his surroundings, though it took him a moment to realize the sun had moved quite a ways in the sky. Although his head felt totally normal, he vaguely recollected the bursts of pain and deduced that he must have lost consciousness.

"Holy shit," he murmured, his mouth dry. "I think I passed out. I was confronting Bindi and the last thing I remember is pain behind my left eye. That must have been hours ago," he mused, brow furrowed as he glanced at the sky. His jade eyes then fell back to Fox's silvery gaze. "I'm all right, though. Why're you here?" he wondered, moving forward to nuzzle her.