Blacktail Deer Plateau Homeland

He could tell she wanted to lighten the mood, yet he wanted nothing of it. Peregrine didn't have a humorous bone in his body at the moment. He stared at her frowningly, then shook his head lightly and looked away. He gazed off into the forest and remained silent for a long moment.

Abruptly, he spoke. "It's not so funny to you when you've just been attacked from behind by your elder brother, only to have him violently beat your ass and exile you from the pack you were born into and lived in for nearly three years," he mused bitterly. Turning to face her, he added, "And that's why I have to fake it 'til I make it. I've had everything I've ever known ripped away from me without warning or cause. You'll have to excuse me if I have a bad attitude about it."

His head dropped and he stared at his charcoal forepaws for a beat before sucking in a breath. "I should stop letting it get to me. It means Tyrannus is still winning. It's just really fucking hard, okay?" He nearly hissed. More flatly, he said, "I'd welcome any distractions you'd like to provide, Vires."