Big Salmon Lake War paint

He gazed across the lake, watching the two moose wading on its opposite side. Peregrine didn't dare think of hunting them. Instead, he watched them a while, then began to scan his more immediate surroundings as he trotted beside the water's edge. He wouldn't go as far as to consider this area as sacred as the caldera, yet he felt territorial of the lake and the Great Bear region in general. He reflected on his previous conversation with the spine's Alphas and the way the rise had dealt with Sebastian. It was only fair that he should defend the entirety of the south from unwanted northerner intrusion.

Smirking slightly to himself, Peregrine paused to take a quick drink, lapping at the cold water both loudly and greedily. At first, his jade eyes fixed on his reflection, quickly distorted by his darting tongue. Then they lifted, skating back to the pair of moose. He was closer to them now. Perhaps because of this or some entirely different reason, they returned to land and began to move away toward the west.

It had been a while since he had been to this lake. His paws had taken him up north several times but now he returned to his routine grounds, hoping but not expecting for the call. His optimism remained, but it was shadowed by his growing disinterest in the lone wolf life. Coming here had, in a way, ruined him, for his frequent contact with wolves and the development of relationships had made it more difficult for him to content himself with being alone. But as always, Luke managed.

He amused himself in this moment by stalking two moose who had been feeding on the submerged plants of the lake. He watched their ears twist, their nostrils flare as they picked up on his presence. He slowly moved closer, keeping himself partially concealed such that the moose stared in his direction but could not perceive him properly. It unnerved them, which was the name of his impromptu game. Eventually, his encroach on them upset them enough that they moved on. They had little to fear, and did not make haste as they returned to shore and walked away. They simply did not wish to be bothered any further.

The white wolf emerged from the bushes and sat on the shore of the lake. He watched as the moose slipped into cover in the distance, gone from view, completely unaware of another on the bank opposite of him.

When a wolf skulked into view along the shore, Peregrine's hackles bristled immediately. But he almost instantly recognized Luke and he froze in mild surprise. It was eerily reminiscent of the way he and Lasher had happened into one another a few weeks back. He frowned at the thought, then deliberated over how to respond to Luke's presence out this way. He still bore no pack scent, therefore Luke was not a northerner, strictly speaking. For the moment, this information was much more pertinent than their brief history. No matter what, he was still an outsider, not to be trusted.

"Luke," he called out gruffly after a moment, striding nearer to the other wolf. His expression was stony, his voice and demeanor neutral bordering on unfriendly. Naturally, he recollected nothing of their shared intimacy that night when he had gone sleepwalking. As far as Peregrine knew, they had last seen each other in person back in April, with Luke later on paying a call at the borders, only to be turned away by Fox. That had been just after the incident.

"By the time you showed up, so much had changed," he found himself saying in a wooden but explanatory tone. He sat, body language still tense. "Where has life taken you these days?"

He turned to head into the lake himself, and it was then he realized he was not the only wolf on its shores. His heart thumped in surprise as he saw Peregrine heading for him. He started to wave his tail, emotions such as disappointment and confusion forgotten, until the dark man drew nearer, and he could read clearly his expression and body language. They were not what he would have hoped for, tense and unwelcoming.

His tail hung limp and his ears folded back a bit as his mouth turned down in a slight frown. It was not lost on him that a lot had changed, though he still did not understand what exactly, and still harbored a thorn of hurt that his companion had not sought him out. He was quiet for a few moments, and when he spoke his voice was soft but not hollow. He was uncertain how to engage. "Not far," he said with a light chuff. He was still here, lurking about the wilderness, waiting.

"You... ah," he paused, tilting his head a bit. He did not wish to say much before he confirmed that their last encounter did not at all exist in the swarthy Alpha's memories. "You don't remember seeing me by the lake near your pack, do you?"

He hadn't intended the inquiry quite so literally, though even those two words were important information. At least this meant Luke wasn't affiliated with a northern pack. This allowed Peregrine to relax somewhat. Until given reason to behave differently, he would not extend his vendetta to include loners and wanderers. Of course, this entire encounter begged a lot of questions about exactly which wolves he would chase away and which he would tolerate. He would have to sit down and think through all the specifics.

Luke's question drew him out of his thoughts. "What?" he asked, gaze quizzical. "We've met here a few times," he said a bit inanely, even though the white wolf had specifically mentioned the lake near his pack. "Lake Rodney? What are you talking about?" Frustration and confusion began to leak into his voice. The question had effectively sidetracked him.

Peregrine's question served as the answer: he did not remember that night by the other lake. This did not come as a surprise to the blue-nosed wolf, but nonetheless he felt body slump a bit. With a sigh he seated himself, his tail wrapping about his paws - an atypical thing, for usually his tail thumped and swept the ground behind him.

"I was worried," he said. His silver eyes searched Peregrine's face. His brows were furrowed as recalled how he had been turned away at the borders, the chill of not knowing what had happened to his friend. "I tried to find you. I don't know how long I wandered around the fringes of your home, hoping to see you." He paused, and shifted on his paws. "I found you, by the lake. But you were... not awake."

Did he even know he had been sleepwalking?

Edit: I wanted to note that I removed the last paragraph because it didn't make sense (yet)!

He listened shrewdly as Luke elaborated. When he uttered the words not awake, Peregrine's brows lifted. He still didn't recall the encounter, yet he entirely believed it had come to pass. For a while after the incident, he had gone sleepwalking all over the caldera. No one had even realized until Wildfire had accompanied him one evening. After that, his family had gone to pains to keep him safe and squared away at night. Not long after beginning his relationship with Pan, the sleepwalking had ceased altogether. He credited the white wolf with calming his restless spirit, though it had to do with the passage of time as well.

"I had a period of sleepwalking after the incident," Peregrine said, remaining on his feet for the moment. His tail twitched pensively. "That's the reason for the change in attitude around here. The incident, not the sleepwalking." He paused, taking a quiet breath. Lasher hadn't taken the news well, yet surely Luke would not receive it so horribly. He was unaware of their relationship but even if he had been privy to it, Luke still didn't know Junior, nor did he seem the type to go off the handle.

"In the middle of May, my estranged daughter came by here, pretending to want to make amends. I was stupid and believed her at the time. Overeager to patch things up between my families, I took her to meet her younger half-siblings... and when she went for my little Wildfire's throat, me and my wolves had no choice but to rip her apart." His mouth remained drawn in a grim line, jade eyes shifting to Luke's pale gaze, not unlike Fox's. "After that, we mutually decided we can no longer trust outsiders, even loved ones, particularly near our borders." He wouldn't apologize, yet hopefully that cleared the air for Luke.

Sleepwalking episodes. After the incident. His attention was perked, and his ears moved forward attentively as Peregrine continued. The answers he had sought so tirelessly before, and then resigned to never getting them, were now being offered freely to him. But as the caldera matriarch explained, he felt a sickening combination of hot, cold, and shakiness all once. His ears splayed to the side and he swallowed thickly. Though he believed something terrible had to have happened, he had not guessed just how terrible. For a fleeting moment a lance of terror shot through him as he thought of Saena, but then his rational mind took the reigns from his emotions and reminded him he not long ago saw her, alive and well. It was a different daughter of whom Peregrine spoke.

He was quiet at length and his gaze shifted to his paws. He understood, and did not judge his companion for the actions he had to take. It was compassion he felt. How devastating it must have been to have to strike down your own daughter in order to protect another. He understood also, why he had been turned away that day, though it stung him to think he could not be trusted.

When his tongue failed to form words right away, he did what came natural to him. He stepped forward and made to brush his crown beneath Peregrine's jaw, should the dark man not move out of the way of his companionable touch; a gesture of reassurance, of understanding, and of sympathy.

He braced himself for the inevitable reaction, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. He truly did not expect what came next: a gesture of reassurance. Peregrine jerked slightly, then held still, allowing it. His eyeball twitched, though not because he found this situation irksome. He was a bit bewildered. The contrast between Lasher's reaction and Luke's was mind-boggling. Of course, they were entirely different wolves, yet truly the response could not have been more different between the pair of wolves he had informed.

"Thanks for not immediately telling me I'm a murderous piece of shit," he murmured dryly, finally taking a seat. His eyes rested on Luke's face, almost searchingly. "The last guy I told... well, let's just say he didn't take it so well." He sighed lightly, then shook his head to rid it of any thoughts of Lasher. He couldn't remember if he'd ever told Luke about his former flame but it truly didn't matter one bit now.

"We didn't tell anyone the truth right away, as you're well aware. But recently we decided, what do we have to lose? But now that the truth's out, we're more or less officially at odds with quite a few wolves, particularly some of those to the north," he added, passively scanning their surroundings. "In fact... they are no longer welcome this way and will be dealt with the way my other daughter, Saena, and her pack dealt with one of my subordinates traveling in the north: with teeth at their throats," Peregrine finished a bit flatly, as unaware of Luke's fondness for his daughter as he was of his affinity for Lasher.

It did not cross his mind that perhaps Peregrine would not tolerate contact until after contact had been made, and he was relieved when his companion did not move away from him after the initial jerk he made. He did not linger long, drawing back as the other man took a seat. The smallest of smiles lent shape to his lips.

"You're welcome," he murmured. Just as he was understanding and nonjudgemental of what Peregrine had done, had to do, he could not blame another for having a more severe reaction. Despite outward appearances, he did not take the explanation lightly; it weighed on him and he felt it in his chest. It was a terrible, awful thing. Though he was relieved to know, his compassionate heart still felt ill with the knowledge.

Peregrine spoke again, of how Saena attacked one of his own. Luke swallowed again, seating himself once more. Saena had told him of Fox's unprovoked attack on her, and though he reasoned that this attack was her retaliation against it, it bothered him that an innocent wolf would endure her wrath for it. Likewise, it bothered him to think that many others, who had no paw in this, would now be met with misplaced aggression.

He drew a deep breath and let out a long sigh, followed by a slow shake of his head. "I knew something bad must have happened," he commented, "but I could never have imagined all of this." He paused, and lifted his gaze, which had been cast no where in particular, to Peregrine's. "I'm glad you're ok, minus some color." Another small smile formed, the tail end of his words barely toeing the light-heartedness he was known for.

Peregrine's lips pulled into a small smile at Luke's observation about his faded coloration. He had nearly forgotten about it. "I'm told I look wiser," he remarked quietly. "But I've caught my reflection and I just look older. I'm not even five yet but I guess that experience aged me." He had meant the comment as a joke at first but it came out far more soberly. One of his upper teeth dug into his lower lip.

"So you haven't settled down yet? How come?" he wondered in the next breath. "Choose carefully now. You might end up with enemies by default," Peregrine mused. The southern wolves were no longer tolerant of northerners and the wolves in the north had more than proven they would attack the southerners that wandered too far in their direction. Lines had definitely been drawn in the sand.

Whether he looked wiser or older, or a combination of the two, Luke had but one thought: "Looks good on you." Peregrine was still the same strapping alpha he had been when they had met, and while the white wolf still found him attractive, he did not feel drawn to him as he had before. Whether it was the mood of this encounter, or the time spent apart, or that he had found satiety in Lasher, or something else entirely, he could not be sure. He did not think on it.

He pursed his lips at the idea of making enemies, his ears folding back briefly. "I've agreed to join someone," he shared. "To found their pack with them, but that has not happened yet." The threat of conflict made him desire a pack all the more, but at the same time, perhaps he was better off unaffiliated.

Peregrine couldn't recollect whether Luke had told him this before. A lot had happened since their last encounter, not to mention the ones prior. (If he'd been a philosophical sort, he might have mused over all the obstacles preventing he and Luke from getting together. Perhaps fate was working against them.) The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed that a wolf like Luke would remain on his own. This explanation made some sense, though.

"Why not? Where are you thinking of settling?" he asked. "You know, it's kind of too bad. I would have liked to recruit you. I know Fox would like to have you as well." Peregrine's head tipped slightly. He was satisfied with his mate and lover—he wondered what Luke would make of Pan—and their mutual attraction seemed to have simmered with time. But Luke was still a fit wolf and a good candidate for the caldera, so the Alpha wolf couldn't help but test the waters.

Why not. It was not an answer he had in its entirety. He knew only that Mordecai was the hang up, for whatever reason that may be. Luke would guess that the plateau wolf was not so quick to leave the life he had forged in Harlyn's absence, and he could not fault him for it. It was on his mind to go and ask him outright, that he may find reassurance that he would not be homeless much longer, or confirmation that he should think about joining another pack. There was an offer on the table now.

For the first time in this encounter, the blue-nosed wolf's tail wagged. Softly, slowly, but it was there. He appreciated the offer, more so because it assured him that despite all of this, he had not lost two friendships. "I'm honored," he answered with a smile. "She wants to settle in a forest somewhere, with a water feature," to this Luke chuffed with amusement, unsure if he had spoke to Perry about his affinity for water. "I'm not really sure what the delay is, other than she's trying to convince her man."

"Well screw that," Peregrine said. "I met you in... what? April? And you've been waiting on them all this time? That's crazy, Luke. The caldera could offer you a solid future right now. I already know you'd make a great addition. But, hey, no pressure," he added with a shrug. Despite his casualness, he hoped Luke would consider his words. He felt like they might have already had this conversation before but so much time had passed and so many things had happened that he just wasn't sure, aside from the vague tingle of déjà vu.

"Aside from wandering and being merry, what have you gotten yourself into lately? Had any interesting adventures?" Peregrine queried next, curious despite himself. Luke had found his way into the swarthy wolf's heart rather rapidly somehow and, despite everything, had never really lost his place. Even if he didn't become a Redhawk, Peregrine hoped he would not align himself with an enemy of the caldera, lest he lose this occasional, casual camaraderie.

Luke's ears fanned back, not because it bothered him what Peregrine said, but because his companion was right. He tended to ignore its existence, but there was a part of him, a rational part, that wanted to rescind his offer to be a founding member of Harlyn's pack. But his heart was a soft one, and he was found of the druid. He believed it was in his right to change his mind, just like he believed that it was nature for wolves to come and go from packs they were previously loyal to, but he also still held on to hope for the pack yet-to-be. For how much longer though?

"You're right," he murmured. "I told myself that if nothing's happened by the end of fall that I'd settle down elsewhere. I don't know for sure that I could even go that much longer, but..." he shook his head. He deigned not to linger on these thoughts for long, for they brought him down. "Anyway, I'll keep your offer in mind." Gratitude was evident on his countenance. It truly warmed him that his dark companion believed he'd make a good addition to his family.

"Interesting adventures? Ahh," he drawled, casting his gaze skyward as if his memories were up there for him to choose from. The only thing truly noteworthy that had happened was his new relationship with Lasher, but he was not prepared to share that with the earthen man's former lover. "No, not really." He furrowed his brows, and then smacked the ground with his paw. "It's getting pretty damn boring out here actually!" He laughed, despite the frustration evident in his exclamation. 

Summer had barely started, so Luke was in for a long wait. Peregrine held his tongue, deciding against cramming the caldera down his throat. It was clear his heart was set elsewhere and, despite his declaration about boredom, he wasn't going to give up easily. Peregrine sort of admired that trait. Maybe if Luke's plans didn't pan out and he came to the caldera in the end, it would get to be on the receiving end of such determined loyalty. He could only hope.

"I can't imagine being alone so long," Peregrine admitted. "On that note, I should head back soon." He was a little bit tempted to arrange another meeting sometime. But their chance for romance had passed and while the Alpha didn't begrudge Luke the title of friend, he had long ago ceased seeking the company of those who weren't part of his pack. "Take care, Luke." Anyway, they would probably run into one another again.

Exchanging a last glance the blue-nosed, silver-eyed, white-furred wolf, Peregrine turned and began to lope back toward the caldera. All the while, his gaze swept Great Bear Wilderness, as he hadn't forgotten his intentions out here. He would tolerate Luke (at least until he aligned himself with an enemy) but he would not be some welcoming of particular other wolves in his neck of the woods.

Did not realize we had made so many posts in this thread already haha.

"Take care," he echoed as Peregrine left to return to his home, his pack, his family. Luke felt himself drain. It was not the fault of his companion that the wind had once again been taken out of his sails, but it had been by the sheer reminder that he had no one to return to, that he was alone, and could be for quite some time yet. Frequently he was finding himself brought down by this. He shook his head and walked off, seeking his next distraction, but it was becoming more and more apparent to him that he could not do this much longer. It bothered him too easily despite his continued hope.