Blacktail Deer Plateau pearls and swine bereft of me

For a minute, he thought Peregrine wasn't going to listen, and he felt his heart break. Despite all the steam and anger he'd built up toward his brother over the past weeks, the thought of their relationship crumbling broke Atticus's heart. But Peregrine gave in, and finally, the wall came down. His brother seemed to sag, as if physically weighted down by all the angst and bitterness between them.

Atticus listened to him, ears pricked forward attentively and face expectant, as Peregrine begged for them to just move on. Atticus leaned forward and licked his brother beneath the chin and gave it a reassuring bump -- a gesture meant to indicate affection, agreement, and support. "Yes," he replied when Perry finished. "That's what I want too. Believe me. And I was telling you why I left before, why I spent a few weeks away from the pack. I didn't mean I was leaving now, you bonehead. Jeez." A small grin tentatively curved his lips upward. "I do agree with you -- my assumptions about you as a leader don't hold water. And I knew that when I howled for you today. But weeks ago, when you were first promoted, I didn't think about it, I just reacted. It wasn't right. I'm sorry, bro."