Blacktail Deer Plateau Flawless

Atticus was elsewhere in the lands, following game trails and scouting out prey movement, when his brother's triumphant howl rippled across the sky. The call beckoned to him, pulled at his heart, invited him to come to them and celebrate the arrivals of the Plateau's first litter. But he remained where he was, though it was a decision made out of practicality and not out of any spite, jealousy, or otherwise negative thinking. No, Atticus was not in that dark emotional place anymore. He could not even bring himself to be jealous of Hawkeye's place in all of this. He was an uncle.

A broad grin spread over his face and he couldn't help the giddy laugh that bubbled up from deep within him, ringing out into the quiet around him with a suddenness that started birds and elicited angry protests from squirrels in the trees. Tossing his head skyward, he sent up a howl of his own, his dark, rich baritone jubilant and sweet with notes of joy and pride, as well as a message for Peregrine: Well done, my brother! I hunt for your girls -- I will return with gifts of food! And with that, he set forth resolutely in his new role as uncle: tracking down food to help ensure the health and well-being of the puppies and their parents.