Blacktail Deer Plateau Beyond the veil

Another wolf materialized quickly and Peregrine felt a measure of relief when he saw Blue Willow's familiar face. In that moment, he randomly thought, She would make a great Beta female. The thought swirled away into the ether as she drew near, astutely ascertained the situation and then asked the Alpha male if he needed help.

"Yes, but let's wait to see if Kisu comes," he replied, his mouth drawing into a grim line when he thought of how the male would feel when he arrived on the scene. His face then went ashen when he appeared a beat later. "Keep them warm," he instructed Blue Willow, then sidestepped the two tiny pups to intercept Kisu.

Yet the male plunged into the burrow and Peregrine could only stand outside, giving him his space and his privacy. His eyes shifted to the dark she-wolf to make sure she was doing her duty, then Peregrine sighed lightly, his head drooping. He couldn't imagine the heartbreak occurring in that den at this very moment.

When Kisu emerged, Peregrine did something unprecedented: he touched his muzzle to the other male's. "I'm sorry for your loss, Kisu." He then nodded quietly. It seemed they were all in complete agreement as to where the pups needed to go, not that there was any question about it.

When Kisu picked up one pup, Peregrine stepped toward the other. "I'll carry him. Come with us so you can make sure they're okay," he said to Blue Willow before bending his head down and plucking up the grayish blue boy. He then swiveled and trotted behind Kisu, the frantic, stricken father leading the way to Peregrine's own den.

When they arrived, Peregrine sped up to pass Kisu and moved into the den's mouth. He set the puppy down near Hawkeye's feet and looked her in the face. "Pied died giving birth. I'm so sorry. Her last wish was for you to take her pups." Peregrine nudged Pied's tiny son closer to his mate and larger, healthier daughters, then turned and made room for Kisu to bring forth the pale female pup.

"Blue Willow's here to check on them and make sure they're all right," he said to no one in particular, his voice firm but soft. "They're very small," he observed, his dusky eyes roving over Ty and O.J., then the new additions. The difference in size was crazy to Peregrine, considering they'd been born less than a week apart. "They must be premature. But you'll give them a fighting chance," he said to Hawkeye, smiling mirthlessly.