Blacktail Deer Plateau All I ask of you

Glad to have ya!

And, yet, he couldn't seem to find her. Perhaps Hawkeye intended to be elusive; maybe she wanted this time completely to herself. Although this thought sent a sharp pang through Peregrine's chest, his walk slowed and he rolled to a stop, biting back a sigh. He felt suddenly very far away from his mate and not purely in the physical sense. And he felt cold inside, like there was a wind blowing over the proverbial canyon between the Alpha pair.

A dark shape caught his eye and, for a wild moment, Peregrine thought it was Hawkeye, after all. He took a half-step toward the dark shadow, his heart suddenly beating fast, when he realized it was Atticus. His lips pursed as he watched his brother turn toward him, drop a slain rabbit on the ground and make his approach. Disappointment tasted bitter on his tongue, though he was happy to see his brother.

"Yeah," he fibbed, "I was just..." Peregrine almost said, taking a walk. Instead, he paused, looked Atticus in the eye and admitted, "I was looking for Hawkeye. The two of us haven't had a second alone since before the pups were born. I thought I'd nab some alone time today... but I can't find her. Maybe," he finished glumly, voicing his previous thought, "she doesn't want to be found, even by me." And that possibility badly depressed him.