Blacktail Deer Plateau Follow your heart, little child of the west wind

Hawkeye's growl made Peregrine's breath catch in his throat. His ears splayed to the side and he crooked a foreleg, the ferocity of the noise taking him by surprise. When she spoke, he realized he wasn't the subject of her anger. Clearly, she knew the culprit. She mentioned an Akhlut, though of course Peregrine had no idea who he was or what any of this really meant.

She seemed to retreat into herself for a few beats and Peregrine waited, a feeling of unease causing him to shift from foot to foot. When she finally spoke again, he paused and bobbed his head, then quickly shook it. Although she'd been devilishly quick, the she-wolf hadn't done any lasting damage.

"I'm fine," he assured the Alpha female. A mischievous light glittered in his dusky eyes, brightening them. "I'm not sure I can say the same for her. I didn't deal her a fatal blow, unfortunately, but I pretty much tore off part of her face," he said with a touch of smugness, punctuating his words with a rumbling growl.

Although he wasn't a proud or vain creature, Peregrine quieted and, after a moment, said, "As long as I'm around, no one's going to get across our borders. My brothers will help guard too, I'm sure. Although I'm personally more of a hunter than a guardian... this is my home now and I take its defense very seriously."