Redhawk Caldera Back at base, bugs in the software

The Beta pair readily agreed with him. Peregrine suddenly wondered (and worried) about the location of their son. He didn't imagine Eljay would take this much better than some of the young Firebirds. Speaking of which, the father looked down at little Peter between his forelegs and bent to kiss the top of the boy's head. He would whisk them away to safety soon enough, although he jokingly considered leaving Ferret to it. With all that energy, maybe he could somehow eat every last one of the locusts.

Before the Alpha could make the move to lead his pack mates underground, two new figures appeared. Under normal circumstances, Peregrine would have warned them away from the rendezvous site, despite their relationships with the Alphas, respectively. But this was dire and, now that they were here, everyone was accounted for except for Fox and Eljay. And then his nephew appeared, much to the Alpha's relief. That just left poor Fox out there somewhere. He trusted she could look after herself, though.

"No, definitely not normal," Peregrine distractedly replied to one of the new arrivals, who must be Panther. Although there was so much going on around him, it didn't stop the leader from doing a sudden double take. His single good eye raked over the face of Fox's brother, naked attraction clear on his face. But it came and went in a heartbeat before Peregrine's features screwed into a serious frown and he began shepherding Gannet, Whip, Peter and even Ferret downhill.

Of course, they instant they arrived at the cave mouth, the father had flashbacks to last year's fiasco. He had lost two of his kids in this very cavern. "Let's all keep an eye on the pups. I don't want a repeat of last year," Peregrine rumbled above the din of insects, exchanging a meaningful look with Finley and Elwood. Eljay wouldn't remember it and, of course, the rest of them hadn't been here for that. "That goes for all of you," he added, including Shrike and Panther by glancing at them briefly before favoring Eljay in particular with a smile. He knew his nephew would rise to the occasion, despite his own fears.

Nudging whichever pup was closest, Peregrine stepped into the cave. He wasn't a big fan himself, yet the sudden absence of buzzing and beating wings was an immediate relief.