Blacktail Deer Plateau Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

The gloomy weather matched Peregrine's mood. Not wishing to subject the children to his bad mood, he kissed their heads and turned to leave the den. Right before he left, he looked at his mate, something of a painful, longing look in his eye. His face then became a stony mask and, with a slow shake of his head, he stepped out into the cool May rainfall.

It receded to a drizzle as he loped around the territory, checking caches and adding to them when opportunity arose. After raiding a pheasant's nest and eating the eggs, he dragged the freshly-slain mother toward one of the stockpiles. En route, he saw his sister walking through the trees. With a flick of his damp ears, Peregrine changed routes and headed toward her.

"For you," he said simply after dropping the pheasant on the ground. Osprey looked skinnier than he liked and generally under the weather. "What're you doing, wandering around out here in the rain?" he asked, a slight note of disapproval in his tone even as he moved closer as if hoping to shield his sickly sister from the storm.