Blacktail Deer Plateau Terrors in my head

His leg was rather stiff after last night's rainfall, so Peregrine spent the day relaxing at the rendezvous site. His family members came and went throughout the day. The fact that Osprey alone never made an appearance didn't concern him in the least. Hawkeye had told him of their offspring's recent field trip and he wasn't stupid enough to think a rebuke would stop her. The pups were three months old now and it was time to start loosening the reigns, much as he hated to do it.

Only when Junior didn't show up for supper, especially when called directly, did Peregrine feel a cold stone of dread form in his stomach. Without a word, he swept from the clearing on his three good legs, locating his daughter's trail and tracking it. It led to the plateau's borders (no surprises there). For the first time in a long time, Peregrine risked the sloping towpath down into neutral territory. Osprey's trail led him to the riverbank and his heartbeat sped up at first, then sank when her trail disappeared... right into the water.

His eyes scanned the river and Peregrine felt bile rising in his throat. The water was moving very rapidly, the result of the rainfall overnight. He knew Osprey loved swimming and he and the other adults had cautioned her about the risks, telling her never to go near water alone. But this was Osprey; she never listened! Horror began to dawn on him when he realized the fate she'd most likely met.

But before he could accept that she might have drowned, Peregrine would send out a search party. Lifting his muzzle toward the evening sky, he howled imperiously, begging any free wolf to come to him. The Alpha male could unfortunately not participate in the search (he cursed himself wildly in his head) but he would send out others in his stead. They would scour every inch of Teekon Wilds before giving up on Osprey Jr.