Blacktail Deer Plateau pearls and swine bereft of me

Atticus's anguished tears were quick to dry as Peregrine seemed to take a more offensive tack. Suddenly, he was angry again. He felt like he was talking to a wall. Still, though, he knew the futility of fighting fire with fire and he made an effort to keep his voice and his demeanor calm.

"I'm sure Crete would be delighted to know that he's the standard by which you judge how much of a pussy someone is," he commented with a note of ire in his voice, having understood clearly the implied insult that Peregrine hadn't spoken. Continuing in a calmer tone, "I'm beginning to think that the only way for me to 'stand by your side and fix this shit' is for me to accept that my own feelings are completely irrelevant and tuck my tail and lick your toes and beg your forgiveness. You aren't hearing me. I tried to explain my side and you accused me of 'making myself out to be the only victim' and 'turning on you'."

Perhaps going back home to the Falcons was the best option on the table for them. Somehow, enough bitterness had been sown between them that Atticus really couldn't see himself hanging around here as a happy-go-lucky, obedient little subordinate after this, helping to raise the kids that Peregrine was having with the woman that Atticus himself had wanted. Taking a breath, he made up his mind to try one more time. As he forged ahead, he was careful to keep his tone neutral and non-accusatory: "A brother I loved made Alpha, turned into an asshole, and destroyed our lives. Weeks later, another brother I love makes Alpha. I felt…I dunno, like history was repeating itself. It scared the hell out of me. I took some time away to figure it out. And now I'm being treated as if I've committed some heinous crime and somehow I've 'left scars', and I really don't get it."

"I talked to Hawkeye--" thoughts of her renewed his anger, but he kept those issues buried down deep inside where they belonged "--and she told me that your promotion literally happened in the minutes between when the howl for the pack meeting went up and when we got there, so that changed things for me a lot. But you ask what you could've done differently? You could've been a bit more sensitive. It would have been nice if the news of your promotion could've waited, if it could've been delivered to us privately, from you, as your brothers who endured Tyr's shit with you, rather than simply being dropped on us as your subordinates in the middle of a meeting. I dunno, dude. Can't change any of that now, I guess. Look, I'm sorry for whatever hurts I caused you. I know my reaction wasn't what you were hoping for, and it fucked everything up between us. But when I'm all mixed up in here--" he gestured toward his head with his forepaw "--I have to sort it out on my own, away from everything."