Blacktail Deer Plateau Your first light my eventide

Paging @Blue Willow now! :)

Peregrine took Lasher's slow smile to mean acceptance. He returned it in kind, leaning heavily into the nuzzle the ocher male offered. While they stood so near, Peregrine locked eyes with his lover and said, "I'm sorry I've kept you hidden. I just wasn't... ready." He swallowed. "I'm ready now. If anyone has a problem with it—with any of this—they can take a fucking hike. We deserve to be happy," he finished, sweeping Fox with his dusky eyes to include her.

Lasher made a move toward the spry yearling and Peregrine's eyes followed him. Mindlessly, he arched forward and plucked the remaining petals from the male's ruff. After removing the last one, he gave Lasher's dark ear a nip, seated himself and cocked his head in response to Fox's pertinent question.

"Now kiss," he joked in response. "Actually, I'm going to start the whole 'coming out of the closet' thing by calling Willow and Atti." He swallowed again, wondering what his brother would make of all this. He could not even begin to guess. "I want to tell them about us first. Then I'll tell the kids. Then the rest of the pack in a few days, after you've had a chance to settle in," he concluded, smiling softly at Fox.

Without further adieu, the Alpha male turned aside and howled for his co-leaders. Not only did he plan to tell them of his unorthodox relationships, he also intended to tell them he meant to make Fox the fourth and final leader. It was perhaps a hasty and biased decision but Peregrine's word was law. And, in any event, there were no other eligible candidates for the Beta female rank and it was only a matter of time before Fox clawed her way up there anyway. By acknowledging her fitness directly, he also hoped it would help her stick.