Blacktail Deer Plateau The Bitterness to Touch These Lips

A week or so ago, Peregrine would've said she was avoiding him... or at least not giving him or their relationship the least bit of attention. Then he would've admitted that the road went both ways and that they'd both dropped the ball. Presently, she was right to feel that he was the one actively avoiding her, because he was. He was keeping his distance as he tried to sort out his thoughts and feelings. Eventually, though, it dawned on him that staying away from his mate and discussing their problems with everyone except her was the wrong approach. He needed to bite the bullet, sit down and communicate with the person who mattered most: Hawkeye herself.

When she called for him this morning, he stopped and thought, A day late and a dollar short. Nonetheless, he went to her. When he spotted her between the trees, he paused and regarded her from a distance. Peregrine slowly made his way toward his mate, though he did not go to her immediately and touch her, as he would have in the past. Instead, he regarded her with fond but guarded eyes and mused, "It's so incredible that we're alone," in a wry tone. He paused, then added, "What's up?" He had a lot on his mind but it seemed she did too. Ladies first.