Blacktail Deer Plateau A bit of peace and quiet

Having never been in love, he couldn't in any way understand what she was going through. True, if it was his sister in that position, he would be heartbroken... but it was different. He was willing to bet her pain was worlds apart from Peregrine's. No more or less, just different.

"I think you are right where you need to be. To be leader and healer can't be an easy task, but those roles are yours. And just because leader needs to take the backburner for the moment doesn't mean you need to step down. That is why you have us. Because while we rely on you to care for the injured, you can rely on us to take care of things like hunts. That's what being a family is all about, right?" He understood why she was doubting herself, but he didn't doubt her one bit.

The bit about Atticus was a harder one to answer, though. He had not spent much time around Peregrine's brother since the incident, but it did not look good. He would never say so, though, for his pessimism didn't have a place among those who fought so hard to bring him back. "He'll come back, I'm sure. But I feel it might be up to him. You can only do so much." Dante didn't know much about head injuries, but it seemed like it also would involve some effort from Atticus. "And I couldn't imagine him not fighting to get back to you."

"That they are, and so am I." He responded, and it was heartfelt. Imagine if he had walked away from Peregrine that day on the borders and not looked back... he would have missed all of this.