More than two weeks had passed since Peregrine fractured his leg and yet it felt like years to him. At least he was more mobile now. Presently, he moved slowly around the clearing, keeping his broken leg hitched off the ground. His limited mobility frustrated him but the Alpha male was just glad he could stand up and move around at this point.
As he hobbled, he found himself thinking of Pied. His niece had been attacked by an orca a few months prior to her death (which had probably had at least something to do with her passing) and she'd broken a leg. He wished she was here so he could ask her how long it had taken to heal and how she'd coped with her handicap those first few weeks. Though he hadn't been especially close to her, thinking about his poor niece made his heart pinch. It was such a shame that Saēna and Pura would never know their lovely mother.
Suddenly, he wished they were here (they and the other two were out and about at the moment) so he could pull them aside and tell them a bit about their mother. The adults had done their best to mention Pied from time to time but they were just now reaching the age where some of that stuff might actually start to stick. He supposed it would just have to wait 'til later, perhaps when the family reconvened at suppertime.
Meanwhile, he was shuffling past his favorite sycamore when his good forepaw sank into something cold and mushy. Peregrine looked down, his face twisting into a scowl of disgust when he realized he'd stepped in some fresh scat. "Which one of you shitboogers crapped here?!" he muttered to himself, then sat so he could wipe off his paw without toppling to the ground.
Dante had not been in the pack for too long but already it felt more like home than any place before. He hadn't met all of his packmates yet, but the few that he had treated him like one of their own and truly made him feel welcome. He couldn't have chosen better and was thanking his lucky stars that he had met Peregrine that day on the border. It was that conversation that had brought him to the conclusion of joining and had, by extension, brought him to this point.
He hadn't spoken with the Alpha since, not wanting to bother him and also busy exploring the territory. He wanted to know every stone and every aspect for he fully intended to defend these lands against anyone who meant to enter uninvited. He wasn't the most aggressive of souls but when someone threatened his home and the ones he cared about all bets were off. This land had quickly become that and he didn't mean to see it disrespected.
Now, though, he wasn't doing anything, so decided to try his luck. He wanted to talk with Peregrine anyway about his intentions to try and gain a rank in the pack. Besides that he had enjoyed their first conversation immensely and kind of wanted to learn more about the other male. See him in his own element, so to speak.
When he came upon the main clearing, he saw Peregrine sitting by himself near a large sycamore tree. "Hey," he said, announcing his presence so that he wouldn't appear out of nowhere. "How's it going?" It sucked that he was laid up, Dante knew it must be killing him not to be able to move as he liked. If he wanted the company, Dante would gladly offer it. If not, though, he'd understand if he was told to keep moving.
Naturally, his nose began to itch. With one paw out of commission and the other covered in shit (literally), Peregrine could not immediately take care of it. Impatiently now, he rubbed his soiled foot in the grass, then as soon as it appeared clean enough, he leaned back on his haunches and swiped at his itching schnoz. His lip curled as the smell of feces wafted into his nose, sticking to the sensitive olfactory tissues within with grotesque tenacity.
Dante walked onto the scene right then, prompting the Alpha male to set his good foot back on the ground and rearrange his features into a vaguely sheepish grin. "Hey," he greeted the other male. His tail thumped invitingly. "It's good to see you here, Dante the Gamma," Peregrine greeted with a wiggle of his brows, unknowingly addressing an unspoken issue on the other wolf's mind. "My leaders and I felt you deserved some recognition for volunteering as a storyteller last week, though we didn't want to immediately toss you into the upper ranks at the time... you know, in case you were a serial killer or something," he quipped.
Because he was tired from his brief, shuffling walk, Peregrine toppled over into the grass, careful to favor his good side. His dusky blue-green eyes remained upon Dante as he situated himself on the ground. "Congrats, man," he said as he settled, then added, "I guess it's probably unorthodox for the Alpha to roll around on the ground at the Gamma's feet but, well, I'm damaged goods at the moment." The swarthy male sighed softly.
Holy hell, was Dante's only real thought as Peregrine greeted him by his new rank. He honestly didn't know what to say. All he'd done was recount a tale from his past and now he was only one step below Peregrine's own brother. "Are you sure? Well, of course your sure. You wouldn't have said it otherwise. It's just..." He hesitated, then stopped completely on that train. "Thank you. I'll try my best to live up to the rank." He was a bit flabbergasted by the speed but he didn't want to question Peregrine or Blue Willow's judgement. If they thought he was worthy of it, then he supposed they must see something that he himself did not yet.
He did have to grin at the serial killer quip. "Probably a good call. I'd hate to have to quit my leisurely killing sprees in favor of the big time. A guy's gotta have hobbies." He chuckled, then sobered. "In all seriousness though, thanks man. It's a huge honor."
He barely held back a laugh at the undignified display Peregrine pulled next. "Isn't that a perk of being Alpha though? People get on your level," Dante said jokingly, though he did lower himself to lay sphinx-like in front of Peregrine. "And maybe damaged, but I'm sure Blue will get you patched up in no time. She seems awfully good at what she does. Even someone like you couldn't screw up her healing." He added that last part, poking a bit of fun. He really enjoyed Peregrine's sense of humor, it let him let loose his own a bit as well. "Really though, I've been kind of curious. Tell me to keep my nose to myself if you like, but how'd it happen? Must've been pretty quick after we first met."
The mention of his Healer's name always brought a smile to the Alpha male's lips, no matter his mood. Now was no different. "She's taking good care of me," he agreed, "and my little boy is helping too. I don't know if you've met Pura yet but he's sort of a slow talker. He's really sharp, though, and it would kick ass if he followed in his Aunt Willow's footsteps," he mused.
"Sorry, tangent," Peregrine apologized in the next instant, smiling sheepishly now. "I fell down and went boom," he explained. "I was walking a bit too close to the edge of the plateau and the ground gave way. It busted me up pretty good but I'm lucky I only broke one leg and not all four. At least this way, I can wipe my own ass." He chuckled deeply.
"So who all have you met?" the leader asked conversationally, dusky eyes gentle and curious as they flickered over Dante's becoming face.
"Small but mighty, eh." To be honest Dante enjoyed the small pack size. It had eased his transition from loner to pack wolf a little more than jumping into a huge pack would have. There weren't quite so many unfamiliar faces to learn and meet. He still hadn't made his way through the ranks even now. "I'm glad it shows, though. It feels good, to know that you know." He really did care a lot about the pack already. It was home.
Dante thought of his own meeting with Blue Willow and nodded. "I've no doubt! She seems truly capable. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting your son." He grinned. "Your daughter, on the other hand... something tells me she didn't fall to far from the family tree." He chuckled. "She's got some balls, figuratively speaking." He knew Peregrine wouldn't mind his speaking frankly, though normally he would tone it down. Just another thing he loved about hanging out with him.
He winced as Peregrine recounted his fall. "Ouch. Tough break, no pun intended. How much longer you stuck before the warden lets you out?" His situation had to feel like being imprisoned. Dante wondered if Blue Willow could estimate that sort of thing or if it was just guessing and waiting. Even infirm, though, the Alpha made an imposing sight. He really was a magnificent creature.
"Only a few," Dante admitted. "Blue Willow and your charming daughter Junior. I'm pretty bad at that sort of thing." He shrugged. "I'm slowly making the rounds though. You've got a pretty awesome group, at least that much I can tell. I'm really glad I joined." I'm glad I met you, he thought, for he knew very well why he had made the decision he did.
"I think it'll be a few weeks before it's healed enough that I can resume my normal activities. I'd rather be doing anything than lying around but I don't want to fuck up the healing process by pushing myself too hard or too far, you know? It is difficult being patient." He sighed.
When Dante referred to Osprey Jr. as charming, Peregrine laughed outright. "Charming? Charming?" He chuckled for a good minute or two before saying, "I'm glad you joined too, Dante, and I'm happy that you seem to like it here." As he spoke, he caught the other male's eye and felt something pass between them that was not unlike the chemistry he experienced with Lasher.
Wouldn't that be interesting, he mused to himself, if I fell for not just one dude but two. Well, at least I'll have something to explain the breakup with Hawkeye: I went gay. The thought was at once alarming and amusing. Peregrine swallowed an uncomfortable chuckle.
"That's probably a good call. But hey, at least you've got plenty of entertaining, gripping conversation to keep you busy." Dante winked, lips curling up in a grin. Truthfully he wondered somewhat if Peregrine would hang around him were the case otherwise. He was the center of this huge pack, surrounded by family and likely admirers. True, Dante now occupied a higher rank, but he was still often a background player. He didn't shine the way Peregrine did. He never had.
Dante honestly wasn't sure how he felt about the handsome male with whom he had formed such a connection to already. They had hit it off right away, and he certainly felt the same attraction that Peregrine was thinking, but he had never known such attractions and therefore wondered if this was normal. When did one know? Dante had always known that gender had no play in attraction for him. He had never chased the girls when he was younger like the other males he came across, but neither had he chased the males. For him, attraction was something that required friendship first, a deep connection that grew into something more.
With Peregrine, he was getting the beginnings of that. However, there was that one glaring roadblock.... the other male was likely straight as an arrow. And if there was one thing Dante did not do, it was make advances on someone who likely would not appreciate them. There was no use betting on a losing horse that way. Their friendship was important to him, nothing would make him wager that.
Peregrine's laughter at his remark about Osprey brought a chuckle from him as well. He was being ironic, but he was truly fond of Perry's daughter. He questioned sometimes the interactions he had seen her have with her siblings, for it was not a leader's place to bully those under her. A leader should stick up for the lowest of the order, not harass them. Still, she was still learning, and with time and guidance would come wisdom. For now she was certainly entertaining to watch.
His next words made Dante glow with pleasure. He met Peregrine's eyes, holding them for a moment before breaking away, not wanting to make him uncomfortable. Again he felt that slight inkling and again he quelled it. "I really do. Yours is the best I've found, and believe me, I've been a lot of places." He looked out towards the mountains. Seemed odd that only a short time ago he had been crossing them with Helena, entering these lands for the first time.
"Have you spent your whole life here? Or was the great alpha Peregrine once a wanderer like myself?"
"I've only been here since the winter, actually. Before that, I lived in my parents' pack in a place called the Seahawk Valley. And I would have stayed there all my life if my older brother hadn't taken over the pack and eliminated all possible threats by exiling all his young, male relatives." He scowled slightly. "It all turned out for the best, though, as that misfortune led me here. I started my life beside Hawkeye and we've since parted ways but this plateau is my heart now. I plan to stay here until the day I die." He certainly wouldn't be letting history repeat itself.
"So, no," he finished, shifting his weight, "I was never really a wanderer. I thrive when I'm with other wolves. And up until I came here, I never deigned to be a leader, a mate or a father. It all just happened. I blame instincts. I regret nothing." His eyes flashed. How could he regret anything when his path had led him to his greatest achievement of all: fatherhood?
"But what about you, Dante? Tell me about your life before you joined us."
Dante listened with rapt attention as Peregrine told of his past. His brother seemed a familiar character to Dante; sounded just like Melusina, or rather, what she would have been should Atrix have passed before Dante left. "Seems you ended up where you meant to be, then." He responded, wondering at fate's curious ways. "Honestly I wouldn't recommend the lifestyle. Sure, I enjoyed it well enough, but I had little choice." Given the alternative, he'd much rather have had this all along. He was here now, though.
Peregrine asked about his past and he faltered. He had figured the question would be directed back at him. "I... I don't much like the wolf I was back then." He admitted, looking down. It hadn't been that long, but he marveled by how much a single revelation had changed his life. He didn't make a habit of talking at length about his upbringing, but somehow, he felt Peregrine would understand.
"I grew up in a pack that taught its members survival of the fittest in a big way. There was no peace with neighboring packs like you have here. If a wolf wasn't pack, they were an enemy, and enemies were dealt with accordingly. I killed for the first time when I was a little over four months old." He paused, then looked up. "It was a pup they had captured when they had led an attack. My father gave me a choice; either he died, or my sister did. So I chose. After all, he meant nothing to me. He wasn't pack."
"My sister, Tarin, was a better wolf than I will ever be. And for it she was ridiculed, attacked, and thrown out. She was the only wolf in the pack that I loved, and it was she who showed me how wrong they had been about everything. I should have followed in my father's footsteps and been Commander when he passed honorably in battle, but instead I left with her."
"We wandered a while. She found a mate and a pack, but for some reason, I wasn't content. So I left and ended up here." His life as a loner had been long, and much had happened, yet none of it of much consequence. His turning points had been two in number: one, when he followed Tarin that fateful night, and two, when he stumbled upon Peregrine on the borders of Blacktail Deer Plateau.
Dante sighed, then gave Peregrine a wry smile. "I may have regrets, but life's put me in a pretty good spot now." He shut his mouth then, having already spoken far more than he was normally comfortable with.
"I'm not one for violence, particularly, and I don't kill outsiders on sight or anything but my personal ideals are not so different from your birth pack's," Peregrine admitted, looking into Dante's charcoal face to gauge his reaction to this information. "I do not make alliances and I only barely tolerate most outsiders. I can think of only one exception, really." Fox's head blinked in his head and he felt a twinge of nostalgia. It had been so long since he'd seen her. He felt like he'd moved on from his little crush on her too. "So I'd be the last to hold something like your history against you," he concluded.
Shifting to a more comfortable position, the swarthy leader asked, "So do you not share in those ideals anymore? What do you make of those who are not of the pack nowadays?"
Dante couldn't help it. When Peregrine said that he was not so different from his birth pack, he let out a laugh, but stifled it almost immediately. "I'm sorry. I just... this place is nothing like there." They were different as night and day. "If it was, no offense, but I'd have steered clear. True, you protect your own. That was probably the one thing I still respect about them. We were a unit. But it wasn't an unconditional membership. I do not think that you would condemn Blue for caring for the sick or injured. Nor would you condemn the old for no longer having the strength to prevail in battle. There though... if you were injured or sick or old, you were weak, and weakness was not to be tolerated." If they weren't killed on the spot they were chased out, and even that was likened to a death sentence.
"Besides that, you fight to protect your own borders. We had none. We fought to prove ourselves stronger, and any who chose not to join us chose death." He shook his head. "Thank you, don't think I don't appreciate your acceptance. But you don't lower yourself. You are so much better than they are." Here they were a pack, but a proper one, tied together with compassion and love rather than fear and violent sadism.
"I still hold true to some of them. As I said, the idea of the pack being first... that is an ideal I will hold until the day I die. Borders were made to be protected and those who are not pack are not to be trusted. However, I no longer hold with the idea that in order to prove our strength we must destroy all who cross our path." Honestly he didn't understand how he had ever held with that idea. When one was young, though, their parents were everything. And with that youth came the impressionable urge to do anything to impress them, no matter the cost.
He hoped that Peregrine didn't think he was mocking him or making light of his own views. He really respected him, more than anyone else he had met so far. He just couldn't even begin to compare this family-oriented pack with his own cold heritage. Atrix would never have lowered himself to treating his pups with an ounce of the kindess and love that Peregrine showed his own.
Peregrine listened as Dante explained that, while he shared some fundamental beliefs with his birth pack, the similarities ended there. He pointed out the way Peregrine looked after his own, including the young, the sick and the weak. The Alpha male pondered this and couldn't help but muse over whether the image he had of himself differed from reality. He supposed he had softened in some ways after becoming a mate, a leader and a father. He had hardened in others too, of course.
"Well, I'm glad you think so highly of myself and the plateau. The feeling's mutual," the Alpha male said, then began to say something else when a tinkling laugh caused his ears to quiver, then another. By the sound of it, his children were making their way back toward the rendezvous site and a glance at the sky told him why: it was nearing dinnertime.
"You're part of this family now, so you're welcome to stay and eat with us if you like, Dante. In fact, I insist. We can talk more over dinner," the Alpha male said with a smile before standing slowly. "Excuse me," he said, hobbling past Dante and making a point to brush the other male's shoulder with his nose as he shuffled forward to meet his pups at the edge of the clearing.
Dante was glad to hear that he was regarded highly here. His rank could have told him that but to hear it flat out was always nice. And, honestly a little surprising. Then again, it always would be, and Dante liked it that way. To get too comfortable in one's position was to begin to stop working so hard to keep it. He never wanted to reach that point.
He nodded as Peregrine dismissed himself, also hearing the sounds of children returning, if a bit behind the attuned father. He was fully prepared to leave and let him get back to his family, but instead was invited to join them. Touched and immensely flattered by the invitation, he returned Peregrine's nudge with one of his own in kind as he passed. "I'd love to, insistence or no." Turning, he followed, excited to meet the rest of Peregrine's little progenies.