Blacktail Deer Plateau bend and break

The sound of Fox's voice breaking caused the compulsion in Peregrine's chest to spread and flare up, like a fire. Before he could think about what he was doing, he stepped closer to her, then tentatively pressed his muzzle to her temple. His tongue drew out an instant later and he gave her a single, brief lick of comfort. Then, perhaps catching himself, he drew back, though only a few inches, to look her in the face.

"If you did everything in your power to stop them—and I fully believe that you and your wolves did—then you didn't fail her." He paused. "She's still alive, right? Something tells me a kid like Bones will find her way home. She'll be back, Fox."

He glanced over his shoulder, like he had done a dozen times since leaving Osprey on the ledge, but this time he did so almost guiltily before taking another step away from Fox. Although offering companionship and moral support to a friend outside the pack would not be unusual for some wolves, it was very unusual for him. He didn't make nice with outsiders... yet, somewhere along the line, Fox, alias Little Weenie, had become a big exception.

And, since he was having a moment of personal clarity and honesty, Peregrine had to admit that his attentions were not merely friendly, either, and that when his dusky, blue-green eyes rested on her just now, he felt a deep, serious and therefore alarming tug in the creek Alpha's general direction.