The Heartwood seize and conquer

Peregrine's ears twitched in response to the male's rumbling stomach. "Don't feel as if you have to hold back on my account. You're welcome to eat," he said, bobbing his snout to indicate that he should eat if he was hungry. They could still talk between bites, after all.

"Alone during this time of year?" he echoed inquisitively. "Are you looking for a home, Ciervo?" he asked, getting straight to the point. "The caldera could always use some more skilled hunters." His gaze dropped pointedly to the dead fox at Ciervo's feet, then drifted back upward.