Blacktail Deer Plateau mischief managed

Osprey squeaked excitedly when she began to move forward, dragging the paw (and all of Blue Willow) behind her, not unlike a tiny tugboat towing a larger ship. She waddled over to her father and looked up at him, eyes shining and rump swaying. Finally, she unlatched, leaving a crescent-shaped patch of sticky drool on the medic's ankle joint.

"Good going, little hunter! Are you gonna be my apprentice?" Peregrine said to his little girl, his voice full of pride and affection, which Osprey Jr. could recognize and interpret even if she didn't understand the words themselves. She yapped happily in reply, then pounced toward him.

Peregrine ran his tongue over her head a few times before turning her around with his muzzle and nudging her back toward her larger playmate. Still full of energy, Osprey Jr. gave Blue Willow a passing glance, then galloped awkwardly toward the den's mouth again, bounding over the puddle drying there and grinding to a halt just outside, her nose quivering as she sniffed the April air.