Blacktail Deer Plateau A little lair for a very small bear

Tagging both @Finley and @Sun Spark and anyone else who's hungry - bear, it's what's for dinner!

Peregrine would never mess with a bear. When he arrived at the plateau's ledge and saw one pacing along the riverbank below, his fur prickled and he remained there, silent, still and watchful. As he observed the bear, he realized it was fussing over a small bundle on the shore. A carcass? Yet the beast didn't eat. It pawed at the small shape, grunted and growled at it, but never ate it. After a time, it—she, Peregrine decided, having deduced that the thing lying on the shore was her dead cub—made one last sound of distress before shambling away downriver.

Long after she'd gone, the Alpha male picked his way down to the river, sniffing along the ground until he arrived at the small body. It was fresh. Drowned, he thought grimly, thinking of Osprey Jr. He hesitated. Could he eat the offspring of another bereft parent, another young victim who'd shared his daughter's fate? Meat is meat, he decided. The Gamekeeper gathered the cub's scruff in his jaws and dragged it the short distance to the towpath, then upward toward the plateau proper.

Sun spark ambled along slowly, his gait slow and unhurried. He watched the sky and the ground as he walked, his grizzled fur graying at the edges shining bright in the sunlight. As yellows eyes moved restlessly to and fro, he caught sight of black fur and a slight limp. He strode forward this must be the famous Peregrine that his daughter and her beau had talked about. Well he didn’t know if it was her beau, but he’d like him to be.

He chuffed gently and trotted further a little ungainly, but still a strong stride for one so old. Hello m’boy need some help, from an old codger like meself? I be glad ta do eit fir you. He stood waiting in the wings to see if the younger mail could use some help. He was old, but he wasn’t dead yet he would pull his weight age be damned.

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The scent of dead animal was a hard one to resist, even if it was not the kind of dead animal Finley typically feasted on. The silver woman followed the tantalizing scent until it brought her to a little party of sorts. She frowned slightly--not because she had been hoping to keep the meal all to herself, but simply because it seemed that she was the last to arrive.

"Mind if I join as well?" Fin asked as she strode over to the pair. She glanced briefly over them, recognizing one almost instantly as the pack alpha and the other as the pack... old guy. With a little grin she added, "Sorry, I didn't dress for the occasion though." The sterling-furred female smiled at her little joke as she looked upon the two males in their matching black suits.

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By the time he reached even ground and let go, Peregrine had decided he wouldn't partake after all, though he would happily call his pack mates to come feast. As it turned out, he needn't call them, for they came of their own accord. The two wolves that arrived were not familiar to the Alpha male, which he hoped to remedy right this instant.

"The only help I need is help eating this," he replied to the older male, gesturing at the dead bear cub. He glanced to Finley, then added, "I'm Peregrine, the Alpha male. I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to meet you sooner. It's been a difficult time for us on the plateau." A pause, then, "Help yourselves, Finley and...?" His dusky eyes fixed on the old timer's face, waiting patiently for a name.

Sun spark smiled at the girl as she came towards them and then turned eyes towards the bear cub. He had never eaten bear before so this would be a new treat, and that pelt would be good gift for someone. Youse tear dat dere hide offa dat bear, dat'd make a good bed for a moder an' her babes. he then tilted ears forward and laughed at the girls comment, finding that he enjoyed a laugh now and then hated seriousness.

forgive me I'm Sun Spark. he did not say he was blue's father he would say that later after they got to know him for him, not because his daughter was so well loved in the pack.

Hope it is not too late for Kaihra to join the party (:

She’d first scented the wolf-bear at the edge of the Plateau. She’d smelt it again pawsteps further and again a little while on. She hadn’t intended to follow the trail the first time, nor the second nor the third, but each encounter brought more confusion to the dark wolf, and more confusion brought more unwelcomed curiousity. And against her better judgment, Kaihra followed. She had never faced a bear before and didn’t fancy making this the day she did, but as she carefully flipped each scent over in her mind, she became more and more certain that this bear was quite dead and that the wolves who walked with it - one of whom she duly noted was the alpha male - were both certainly alive.

A guttural laugh broke her concentration and Kaihra flicked her gaze toward the source of the scents that lingered fresh on the air. She recognized Finley immediately, to whom she gave a small dip of her head, and bowed low to the younger of the males, the alpha Peregrine, whom she knew only by scent and name. She thought for a moment that she recognized the elder wolf Sun Spark - there was a certain warmth in his face that danced with a strange familiarity - but Kaihra couldn’t quite place where she’d seen him before. Deep within, it still unnerved her to be around so many wolves after so many moons alone, and she still felt she lacked the social ease that seemed to come so naturally to others. Still, she did well to keep her ears flat and tail low as she picked her way toward her higher-ranking packmates. ”And I am Kaihra,” she said once the elder Sun Spark had spoken his name. She eyed the bear before their paws, but felt no stir in her stomach to indulge in the feast. She’d leave that to those who were hungrier than she.

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Finley dipped her head in response to her alpha's words. She had heard the tale of his daughter and felt great remorse for his loss. Actually saying anything to that effect was beyond her, though. Dealing with emotions was not her strong suit, especially one such as sadness. She didn't like it when people were sad, so why would she help someone dwell on it by letting them know she had sympathy for them?

The silver fox gave a smile to the older wolf--Sun Spark, apparently--when another joined the scene. This one she knew, and though the girl had given her only a silent nod of recognition, Fin joyfully bounced over to her and greeted her with a friendly nuzzle to her shoulder blade.

"Kaihra, yay!" she exclaimed, settling in by her side like an adoring little sister, "Peregrine just kindly offered to let us eat his bear, you want in too?" She gave her friend a smile as though nothing about the situation was at all uncommon. She ate baby bears all the time, apparently.

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Peregrine quirked a brow at Sun Spark's suggestion. "Not a half bad idea," he said, his gaze dropping to the carcass. Although there were no mothers or young pups in need of a blanket, he found himself wondering how to separate the fur from the muscle without tearing or otherwise compromising it.

While he stood there pondering it, another she-wolf appeared en scene. If not for his involvements with both Lasher and Fox, he might have found her attractive. She was pretty, yet his interest did not go beyond this initial observation. He'd gone for the obvious catch once. Nowadays, he liked going after the most unlikely, taboo or hard-to-get candidates, evidently.

Finley and the newcomer, Kaihra, seemed to share an existing and almost sisterly bond. As he motioned for the three of them to help themselves, he queried, "Are you two sisters or something?" To include Sun Spark, he added, "Maybe instead of a blanket, we could make a shawl out of the bearskin and give it to one of these ladies."

The wolf chuckled at the blank look Peregrine gave the bear cub and he spoke softly yose snip da peeces as close ta da skin as youse kin git and den you lay it out ta dry an' when it's dry you kin take da dry peeces dere an' jes pull em off.

Sun spark smiled and dipped his muzzle Mayhap we could, my wife an' my daughter always liked gifts.Well met Miss Kaihra and Miss Finley Sun spark then walked around the bear looking at it around all angles trying to figure out the best way to start tearing off the hide without damaging it. It was a crude way of doing things, mostly because they didn't have tools only claws and teeth, and that tore into things anyway. YOu could see his mind working behind his grizzle old eyes.

Kaihra braced herself for the tornado of Finley the moment she spotted her in the clearing. She accepted the young wolf’s nuzzle with a wag of her tail and sat down beside her, refraining from flinching away at the other’s wolf’s touch. It seemed the girl had grown an attachment to her since their first encounter, though Kaihra couldn’t imagine how or why. But she was glad for the warmth of her welcome and was certain now her friendliness was nothing to be suspicious of. Kaihra flashed her attention back toward the baby bear, whose buggy eyes protruded from a mask of water-logged fur. She had eaten many strange foods as a loner, but drowned bear had not been one of them. She didn’t feel inclined to change that now. She dipped her head to Peregrine in thanks for his kindness and turned back to Finley, who remained beside her with face aglow. ”Thanks, but I’ll sit this one out.”

Finley’s sisterly approach did not go unnoticed by Peregrine, but before Kaihra could respond to his inquiry, the alpha’s suggestion met her ears and a wave of protest swelled silently in her throat. She drank it down with a swallow and listened on with a straight face as the males discussed how to turn their drowned meal into a fashion statement. As Sun Spark turned to examine the bear, the dark she-wolf silently wished the worst to his efforts. If they ever draped that thing across her shoulders, she’d be tempted to throw more than just the bear pelt into the river.

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Fin listened quietly as her packmates took turns speaking. Her ears perked with curiosity as Sun Spark explained exactly how to go about skinning the little cub. The thought of having a cub skin as a shawl greatly pleased the part of her that loved to stand out and feel special. She could imagine herself flouncing around the plateau with a fancy little jacket on her shoulders. She liked the thought of all the other females asking where she had gotten it, to which she would respond oh, our handsome alpha Peregrine gave it to me teeheeheehee!

Luckily, Sun Spark's voice speaking her name snapped her out of her daydream because Stevie was getting disgusted with her just writing that. She turned her attention to Kaihra to see what her friend thought of the idea. The black wolf said nothing, which Finley took as the opportunity to claim the treasure for herself. With an eager smile, she looked back to the two men before them with her answer on her tongue.

"I think actually a skin like that would be more fun for the pups," Fin responded, "Can't you see them putting it on and chasing each other? Or maybe their caretaker putting it on and telling them stories where they could play out the part of the bear?" The Blackthorn laughed gently at the thought, her tail wagging. "Not that I'm not flattered, Mr. Sun Spark, but my own skin keeps me warm enough," she smiled graciously, also thinking wordlessly that she didn't need to wear a cute little teddy bear to stand out anyway.

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The Alpha male had a difficult time understanding Sun Spark's instructions, yet that was all right because neither she-wolf seemed particularly thrilled about the idea. He smirked for all of a second before his face faded back into a stoic line. He was doing better at moving on from Osprey's death these days but he still found it difficult to smile.

"I'm actually one of the primary Caretakers and that's not a half bad idea either," Peregrine said to Finley. "So... is anybody gonna eat this thing?" he wondered aloud in the next breath, eyeballing the other three.

After a moment, he dropped to his haunches and said, "Well, one way or the other, I'd like to take this chance to get to know three pack mates I don't know well yet. Tell me about yourselves. Age before beauty," he said lightly, inviting Sun Spark to go first.

Sun spark chuckled his eyes twinkling at the young male before him. No wonder his daughter deemed him her best friend, he was worth the love of a friend for his daughter. He chuckled and spoke softly I was a warrior in my youth hot headed and rash, but a woman changed all that with her healing nature and her sweetness. We had three children two boys and a daughter. I gave up the bloody claws and the sharp teeth and my former name in stead taking this moniker and reinventing myself. I became a jack of all things, but a master of none. We were traveling story tellers and healers my family and I. My journey brought me here after my wife gods rest her soul took her last breath.

he dipped his muzzle then allowed someone else take up the mantle of history. His own story done for now.

Kaihra listened quietly as Finley spoke, uncertain whether to feel disturbed or amused at the image of pups terrorizing the woods in a bear skin. Pups could wreak havoc enough in their own fur without having the pelt of a beast at their disposal. But letting the pups have their paws at the skin pleased her more than draping it over her neck, so Kaihra gave a swish of her tail in support of the girl's suggestion.

As Peregrine wondered aloud who would eat the kill, Kaihra turned her gaze toward the carcass again. She still felt no stir to indulge, but rose after a moment's hesitation and picked her way toward the cub while stifling the reluctance that tugged at her legs. She observed the body for a moment before trying her best not to damage the hide as she nipped away a chunk of its underside, but was certain her work did more damage than good. She tore a second piece free as Peregrine suggested they share their histories and returned to her place. Kaihra placed one piece at Finley's paws before settling down beside her, keeping her eyes off the carcass so as not to see the mess she'd left behind. Perhaps having another eat beside her would make this experience not so bizarre.

As Sun Spark spoke, Kaihra kept a steady gaze on him instead and noticed for the first time the scars that ran along his sides. She could still imagine the power that lay in the muscles beneath his aging frame, and Kaihra felt a shiver run up her spine. Sun Spark soon fell silent and, after the silence passed for longer than a pause, she dipped her head in thanks for his tale. Her paws itched to know more, but, though her mind reeled with questions, Kaihra kept her mouth shut.

Yet she was still the one to break the silence as she picked up the moment to share her story, swallowing quickly before beginning her tale. "Like Sun Spark, I have spent much of my life travelling." She began, with a fleeting glance at her packmates. "My brothers and I left our home in the Northeast after conflicts rose in the land and we travelled South for many days. They settled in a forest in the South and took mates there, but I continued Northwest and eventually found my way to your pack." Kaihra darted her eyes around the circle again before settling her eyes on Finley. She was curious to hear the girl's story, if she would share it with them today.

She was very pleased with herself when her alpha complimented her idea (in her mind "not half bad" = "that is the smartest thing ever and you're super hot btw"). At his second invitation for them to eat, Finley took a look at her companions to see if they were going to dive in first. After all, she had no desire to bash her skull into someone else's. Not with such a handsome man watching, after all.

Her gaze switched to Kaihra as the woman stood and pulled a piece of the meat over to her. She reached out with her muzzle to plant a grateful nuzzle on the black wolf's cheek. She leaned down and began to feast on the cub's flesh, savoring the exotic flavor. Her ears perked as Sun Spark began to tell his story and she swiftly found herself entranced with images of a young rugged wolf in the midst of battle, then a beautiful female sweeping in and stealing his heart. In her mind, the dashing male looked a lot more like Peregrine than a young Sun Spark. Somehow, she just couldn't bring herself to picture the kind old man as anything but a kind old man.

Then it was Kaihra's turn to speak, and Finley shook off her daydreams of Sun Spark to make room for her daydreams of the swarthy female. While she felt no sexual attraction to women, the Blackthorn was definitely capable of recognizing that she was a beautiful creature indeed. Which could only mean that her brothers were sexy pieces of wolf as well. She even went as far as to feel disappointed that they had found mates.

It took a moment for her to realize it was her turn to tell her story, so busy was she imagining how sculpted Kaihra's brother's shoulders probably were. Fin shook her head to snap herself out of it, blinking at her companions and then letting out a laugh. "Oh! Sorry, I zoned out for a minute," she said with an apologetic smile. She gave Kaihra a quick glance, "Your brothers sound really nice, by the way," before turning back to her full audience.

"I don't really have much to say, actually. I was part of a big, big family and I felt... suffocated. So, I left, and I ended up here." Yep. That was all. She shot everyone another smile, then ducked down to devour another chunk of yummy bear meats.

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Something about Sun Spark's story gave Peregrine a feeling akin to déjà vu. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, though. "Sorry to hear about your wife. I hope the plateau makes for a nice retirement home," he said with a lopsided smile, though the sentiment was quite genuine.

Kaihra's and Finley's tales were somewhat similar in the sense that they'd both left home for greener pastures. Peregrine wondered if Kaihra had been close to her brothers, the way he'd once been inseparable from his three litter mates, particularly Osprey. He fleetingly wondered when he would see his sister again, though he brushed the thought aside for the moment.

The two she-wolves were busily chewing bear meat and Peregrine gave Sun Spark an inviting glance before rethinking his earlier decision. Now that Kaihra and Finley had begun to tear it apart, it looked a lot less like a young bear and more like, well, a heap of meat. Tentatively, he nosed out a morsel and chewed on it. It was okay.

"So, what made each of you come to the plateau in particular?" he wondered next, swallowing and then lifting a paw to his mouth to scrape a stringy chunk of meat from between his teeth.

Sun spark let his eyes laugh at the youth that stood before him, and though he had a age about him, Spark still beat him in the age department. To him the young male was a pup in years to his. He wouldn't and didn't say this though, keeping that sentiment to himself.

Sun sniffed at the bear tentatively, but never one to pass up a free meal he bit into it. it wasn't so bad, a little more blubbery than he would have liked, more of a chew toy than a meal he felt.

He glanced up golden eyes dancing in mirth, well I a'pose ain't no rig't reason ta hid' et now, seein' as how youse asked all straig' forward an' like. I am here for ma daughter Blue Willow. I figger if imma die, i need ta do et aroun' family.

Kaihra met Finley's compliment with a blink of confusion. How much had she spoken about her brothers? She tried to backtrack her words, but gave up the endeavour as Finley's story turned her thoughts to consider the girl instead. Finley kept her history short, but what she shared provided explanation for her current temperament. One would need a grand personality if they ever wanted to stand out in a crowd, and Finley seemed the type to want that. Kaihra glanced at her friend and, for a fleeting moment, wondered if she would have been like Finley, too, if she'd been raised in a large family. The dark wolf quickly dismissed the thought with another bite of meat.

Now that both Finley and the males had joined in eating, the feast felt less strange. Still, only Finley seemed to readily enjoy the meat and, as Peregrine fished out a bit from between his teeth, Kaihra decided she would only hunt down stringy bear cubs when all the other prey had vanished from earth.

Sun Spark replied first to Peregrine's next inquiry and began with a prelude at which Kaihra felt a twinge of impatience. She gnawed out the sensation alongside her bear meat, but what came next made her stop mid-chew. Had he just said he was Blue Willow's father? Kaihra swallowed and glanced at Finley, then Peregrine, before setting her eyes back on the elder male and giving him another look up and down. Her memory flashed back to the night she'd run into Blue Willow in the forest, and suddenly the similarities between the two wolves stood clearly in light of their connection. Of course he had looked familiar when she'd first seen him. She had seen Blue Willow in his face.

Fin nibbled happily on her chunk of bear, unaware that any of her packmates found the meat to be less than appetizing. She also missed Peregrine's invitation for them each to share why they had chosen the Plateau, but what she did not miss was the old wolf's short story about how he had ended up with them. The Blackthorn swallowed the chewed up bit of meat upon her tongue and canted her head to the right.

"You're Blue's dad?" she repeated, her eyes lighting up excitedly, "Are you one of the wolves she traveled with that told stories and stuff?" Her tail began to dance at her haunches, the memory of her meeting with Blue shining brightly in her mind. If this was the wolf she had learned her storytelling skills from, she was very excited to meet him indeed.

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Neither of the two she-wolves answered, though that was in large part because Sun Spark's revelation surprised all three of his companions. Peregrine's eyes flicked to Finley's face as she gave voice to two of the questions floating in his own head before cutting back to the old timer's face. The resemblance was suddenly starkly clear. Funny how it worked that way.

"Well, it's awesome to have you here," Peregrine said heartily, "and I hope you're able to stay with us a good while." He grinned, his mind briefly wandering to his own parents. They were both dead. Blue Willow was lucky to have her father here with her in the home stretch of his life. It would be such a blessing for her to be there when he eventually passed away.

Sun spark chuckled warmly at the questions fired at him yes I were one of da ones dat traveled with blue, me an' 'er mother Spring Flower. I traveled wif my sons too, but they were gone befo'e blue was born. he perked his ears forward at Peregrine and smiled Thank ye m'boy.

While Kaihra nodded along with Peregrine's welcome, she briefly wondered if Sun Spark even had a good while left. Age lined his greying face, and though he still spoke with soundness of mind (she imagined she only struggled to understand many of his words due to his accent), he made it sound like he'd come here to die. Kaihra counted Sun Spark incredibly fortunate to have found Blue's pack in a world so vast and wide, especially at an age like his. Perhaps his lifetime of travel had prepared him for his final journey here.

Kaihra felt her mind turn back and she remembered words spoken by both Sun Spark and Finley just moments before. Her ears pricked forward at she honed her interest on the elderly male. "You said you are a storyteller?" She tried to keep the edge of uncertain curiosity out of her voice. The dark girl had only heard of such wolves in passing. Her parents had never taken one in, and she could remember her mother scolding her when she'd asked them why: one never knew what influence a stranger could have upon such an impressionable mind. Kaihra did not feel surprised that her paws now tingled with unease, but she pushed the worry down as quickly as she had felt it rise.

Finley's mind somehow never made the connection that Sun Spark had come here to die, nor that his days were numbered. She was too busy reminiscing about the stories that his daughter had once told her. She glanced to her alpha as he made his remarks and she gave a nod in agreement. Her gaze turned back to Sun Spark as she leaned down and ripped off another chunk of meat. Spring Flower. That was such a pretty name. They all had such cool, pretty names. It suddenly made her a little disappointed in her own. Finley. It was so... Blech. But what were the options? Fin was just as blech, and the only other name she had ever gone by was NOT about to accept again. Frog. Who calls someone Frog? Family could be so cruel.

The female's ears perked at the sound of "storyteller". She looked up from her delicious dead bear and watched Sun Spark for his reaction. Unable to help herself, she burst out the thoughts that were trying very hard to remain trapped in her mind. "Do you know any about Coyote?" she asked eagerly, though immediately felt ridiculous for saying anything. Of course he did. How did Blue know any if she hadn't learned them from her father.

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Sun Spark, Spring Flower, Blue Willow... Peregrine found himself musing over the family's naming convention when Kaihra pressed the old timer about storytelling. The Alpha tipped his head curiously, eyes shifting to Finley when she followed Kaihra's question with one of her own. Coyote? That doesn't fit the theme, he joked rather lamely to himself.

A quiet howl rose into the air, cutting right into the conversation like a hot knife through butter. "Ah," Peregrine remarked, recognizing Fox's voice. "That'd be for me. You guys enjoy the bear and feel free to stash the leftovers or share them or whatever. It was nice chatting with you. See you all around." His eyes lingered last and longest on Sun Spark. He hoped he would have a chance to talk to the old man again before he kicked the bucket.

What a terrible thought, Peregrine mused, enunciating a final, "Bye, guys," before turning and trotting to see what his ward needed from him.

Sun spark chuckled Yes I know many stories of Coyo’ an’ other such gods and goddesses miz Finley. Sun Spark looked at the bear and though it didn’t taste the best, they could not waste it. So he set to the task of ripping it in chunks to put away. He was not going to be here for long, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to contribute where he could while he was here, especially after being given a home. I say we store dis, w’at says you ladies?