Blacktail Deer Plateau to the moon and back

Since Crete's arrival, Peregrine had scarcely graced the territory's interior with his presence. He kept a tireless vigil at its outskirts, watchfully waiting. He felt certain that Osprey would come, hot on their mute brother's heels. He knew Atticus would likely show up too, another of Tyrannus's victims. The thought brought a sneer to Peregrine's face, yet it wasn't an altogether wretched expression any longer; now, it was tinged with belligerent pride. He and his brothers—and sister—would stick together in spite of their tyrannical relative and thrive even as Tyrannus doomed the Flightless Falcons to certain failure.

This morning was a particularly frosty one, the bitter cold turning his breath into a fog which crystallized on his black muzzle, giving him a white beard. His constant footfalls wore a path in the snow, all the way down to the frigid, frozen earth. Constantly, his eyes shifted to and fro and his whiskers and ears twitched as he absorbed every last piece of sensual data his surroundings provided. If and when his siblings arrived, he would know in a heartbeat.

Speaking of which, his heart flew into his throat when the first notes of a deep howl thrust up into the winter morning air, shaking the snow off a nearby pine bough right above his head. It missed him by several feet, as Peregrine bounded along the towpath that led him down into the flatlands. His broad paws struck neutral ground and he didn't slow. He galloped along the foot of the plateau, tracking the howl to its source and crashing directly into Atticus as he rounded a bend.

He snarled in surprise and the two went down in a tangle of black fur and long limbs. Like a cat, Peregrine hated to lose his footing, so he rolled even as he struck the ground, then bounced back onto all fours. Every single charcoal fur stood on end, though it flattened when he realized he'd smashed into Atticus. His initial bewilderment upon impact gave way to a grin and his tail swept the air in a wide arc as he woofed at his eldest litter mate.

"Att," he said simply, sniffing noses with Atticus and roughly bumping his silvering muzzle against Att's flawlessly black cheek. "I knew you'd come. I mean, Tyrannus's douchebaggery is indisputable at this point, isn't it?" He exchanged a dark look with his duplicate and chuffed. "It's good to see you, bro."