Blacktail Deer Plateau Professional griefers

Atticus softened and apologized as he inched nearer to his younger brother. "Don't," Peregrine said, "Don't apologize. It's the truth. This was preventable, Atti, no matter what we try to tell ourselves. I shouldn't have played so fast and loose with my responsibilities. Yeah, she's willful and, yeah, it's tough to get her to listen... but she's a fucking puppy, man. I'm her daddy and I'm supposed to be tough on her to avoid... to avoid... this..."

He couldn't manage anything more. Fighting the urge to break down and sob, he scooted closer to Atticus and buried his face in his sibling's neck. He drew in slow, deep, shuddering breaths as he tried to steady himself in an onslaught of strong emotions.

After a moment, he spoke again, his voice muffled by his brother's fur. "I feel so fucking useless. I can't even help look for her. What if she's hiding somewhere and she's scared? What if she would only come out for me... and I can't even go out there because I'm a goddamn gimp?"