Redhawk Caldera Now you're calling all the boys home

AW but maybe @Towhee Jr?

Hotah stood on the ridge, scanning the valley as the pale morning light crept over the grass. The fog had lifted, but the weight in his chest hadn’t. Peregrine’s scent was gone. Every trail had gone cold. The river below murmured its cruel possibilities.

He drew a hard breath, forcing it steady. Standing still only sharpened the ache.

He lowered his head and scented the wind—deer, fox, the faint musk of elk farther out. Something he could chase. Something he could do.

Hunting wasn’t escape. Not really. But it was purpose, and purpose kept him moving.

Hotah stepped down the slope, muscles coiling as he followed the nearest trail—anything to quiet the space Peregrine used to fill for a little while.