Blacktail Deer Plateau And your soul turned black as the sun grows somber

So. Much. Dialogue!

Peregrine told himself he wouldn't interrupt Blue Willow until she was entirely finished. He held entirely to that promise, then took a few moments to mull over everything she'd said. There were some difficult questions to answer, yet he knew that with her help, he might be able to untangle the mess that had become of his heart.

"Atticus had a crush on Hawkeye," he said slowly, "but he's completely over it now. Crete, though? He hated her." His ears fell black slightly. Had Crete seen something he'd missed? "We all worked through our issues there, except of course that Crete and Hawkeye probably hate each other to this day..."

Suddenly, Peregrine wanted to ask, What do you think of her? He put that question aside for now, though, and tried to focus on answering her queries before posing any of his own.

"They're so young, it's hard to tell. I'm sure they have no idea that we're anything but a happy pair. Or maybe they notice more than I give them credit for. I do think that, as they get older, they'll pick up on it. So would it be better to call things off now, before they really know what's going on? I don't know. And I don't know that Hawkeye and I would necessarily have an easy friendship, either. I would be happy to split amicably if it came down to it but I'm not sure she'd be as open to it..."

Peregrine lapsed into silence for several long beats. When he spoke again, his voice sounded odd. "Is it telling that when you mention the thought of her with another mate, it doesn't even bother me that much? I mean, it's not my favorite thought in the world but... I just feel so oddly disconnected from her. I feel apathetic. Maybe that's just how I feel right now and it'll change tomorrow or the next day. I don't know." Hashing it out loud was good, though he realized that it also brought a lot of thoughts and feelings to the surface. It was a bit overwhelming.

"I appreciate that, Willow, and no matter what I decide to do, I'll make sure we talk to each other alone. Actually, I have a feeling that no matter what I decide on my own, it's going to come down to a mutual discussion and decision. At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it'll happen. I do want to go into it prepared to do what I think is best, though."

The first cycle of question and answer now completed, the swarthy leader decided to revisit the inquiry he'd set aside earlier. "Can you tell me something and be completely honest? How do you feel about Hawkeye? And, well... you know me well enough, at least, so do you think... she and I are a good match? I know that's kind of a strange thing to ask but I really value your input, Willow."