Redhawk Caldera Long live the king

She came to him, approaching on his sighted side, which earned an appreciative thump of his tail. He leaned into her kiss, both eyes closing. He knew he had been short with everyone lately and too caught up in his own woes to pay any attention to anybody else's needs or wants. Yet Fox stuck by him like a trooper (as did the rest of his loved ones, for that matter). He slid his muzzle over her forehead, kissing her between the eyes.

Fox said nothing, obviously ready to listen, so Peregrine got straight to the point. "Remember when I mentioned my thoughts about heirs? Well, this vision loss is like a reality check. I'm going on five and I'm not going to live forever. I'd like to start training Nightjar now to take over in a year or two. We need to find out if he's interested, of course, but I wanted to run it by you again first. I think he's the most suitable of the Firebirds to carry our traditions forward. I think it makes the most sense because he can be Alpha alongside you after I step down, then whenever he's ready to take a mate, that's when you could step down too. Or whatever. We'd have plenty of time to hammer out the details."