Blacktail Deer Plateau Tomorrow's not ours to share

Hawkeye arrived promptly, perhaps more quickly than Pied wanted or anticipated. The Delta stiffened slightly, as if she were a child caught in the act of behaving badly, then coaxed her muscles to relax. She hadn't done anything wrong and, though it would be hard to bear the second part of her happy news—that by choosing to be with Kisu, she was also choosing to leave the plateau—she knew that Hawkeye wouldn't rebuke her for her decision.

"We got back a while ago," Pied said in reference to herself and Vires. "We got a lot of scouting done. There's a lot of land out there and then the sea. The ocean's actually not that far from here. I know you don't like to leave the territory but, one day, you need to go and see it for yourself." She paused, then added a few more details about the trip she'd made with Vires.

Finally, she got around to the part where Kisu entered the picture. "One night, Vires and I separated to cover more ground before nightfall. I wound up near Horizon Ridge, you know, Akhlut's pack? I ran into Kisu and learned that he'd joined the pack there." Although mentioning his name brought a smile to her lips, it fell as she continued. "We talked about it and I told him I had your blessing to move to be with him. So... I've decided I'll be seeking entry into the ranks there."

Pied's lips pursed and she held her breath as she watched Hawkeye's face. Before the Alpha could even react, she added, "I know it's kind of sudden. I never anticipated any of this. But I'm falling for him. I really and truly am. And he wants a family. He wants a family with me."