Blacktail Deer Plateau Flawless

When Peregrine awoke to find the space beside him empty and cold, he immediately leaped to his feet and sniffed out his mate's scent trail. It led away into the dark forest. He stood there a long time, pondering whether to track her or just leave her alone. Eventually, he set off into the dimly-lit woods, just to make sure everything was okay. She was due any day now and Peregrine just wanted to make sure all was well.

When a rabbit suddenly darted in front of him, instincts took over and the Alpha male found himself giving chase. It led him on a zigzag course across the plateau, weaving between trees and making long sprints across open ground. (Meanwhile, Hawkeye was busy giving birth next to the secret altar.) Eventually, he caught up to it and swiped the rabbit's long feet from beneath it with one black paw. After pouncing on the unfortunate critter and dispatching it, he realized just how far he'd strayed from Hawkeye's trail. He paused, deliberated a moment, then began to lope back toward the den to see if she'd made it back there yet.

When he arrived, Peregrine paused a few feet from the den's mouth, set the rabbit at his feet and caught his breath. As he stood there, he froze suddenly when he heard strange sounds in the den. He crept forward a few feet, nose quivering and ears pricked now. The scent of blood made a bolt of panic race through him but when he came near enough to look down upon his mate and spied the two tiny bundles suckling at her side, Peregrine's breath caught in his throat.

"You... you... when...?" He stuttered even as a broad grin crept over his dark face. "Babe," Peregrine practically choked, emotions overwhelming him. His eyes were full of warmth and affection as he proudly regarded his mate. In the next instant, his dusky blue-green eyes shifted to the tiny pups and he said, "Babies," in the same reverent tone of voice. Then he just stood there, staring between his gorgeous wife and his tiny son and daughter—just like they'd predicted (or so he thought).

"Can I come in? Can I... touch them?" he said quietly to Hawkeye, wanting to reach out and grasp all three of them in a fierce bear hug but afraid of agitating the new mother or upsetting their tiny babes.