Blacktail Deer Plateau Clouds are sleeping

"AW" but tagging @Blue Willow and @Finley.

He could have tried to catch up and walk with Lasher, yet Peregrine was trying to avoid him, not travel alone with him for hours on end. He allowed the male several hours' head start before setting out for the plateau. It required an overnight stay in a strange woodland but Peregrine was up with the sun and drawing up in the plateau's shadow just a few hours later. He wanted to keep this relatively brief and get back to the caldera as soon as possible. Yet he would not just leave Finley here without at least checking up on her and letting her know they cared and were waiting for her to mend and return.

Resisting the urge to just barge into the plateau, Peregrine raised his head into the air and called out to Blue Willow. He hoped Finley was listening too, of course. "It's Perry. I've come to check up on my reckless pack mate." The swarthy male seated himself in the grassy prairie below the plateau and focused on trying not to fidget.

Teehee! I'm assuming Blue will bring Perry in to see Fin, so I'll post this now and hop back in when they arrive back at the den :D

The hours had passed since her arrival at the Plateau in a blur. She passed between sleep and wake in a fitful, feverish haze, only to wake up hours later to the cool sting of more aloe being applied to the wounds at her side. She had looked upon the woman with fear and guilt in her eyes, only to pass out again as the woman began to speak, hoping to ease her troubles. Even more time passed until finally, the Blackthorn did awaken fully to the sound of a familiar voice calling out across the air.

Fin gave a bleary-eyed stare at the world around her as it swam into view. The pain at her side and her jaw was still present, but was nothing compared to the splitting headache that caused her to groan and shut her eyes tightly again, if but for a few moments. She licked her parched lips nervously, blinking across the ground until her eyes landed on Willow who was perched nearby for some reason. What was Blue doing at the Caldera? Or rather... what was Fin doing at the Plateau?

Her confusion at the scene lasted only a minute before flashes of her encounter with the bear swept through her mind. The dots connected themselves in her mind across the parts between then and now that were nothing but empty black space, and with another groan she placed her arms over her head and muzzle and shut her eyes again. "Guhhh..." she muttered weakly, "he's gonna be so pissed..." She pulled her head in tighter towards her chest with a soft whine and attempted to will herself to pass out again so that she might avoid actually facing his wrath for a while longer.

Blue had worked tirelessly to keep Finley healthy, to keep the wounds that adorned her; from turning into a raging inferno of heat and fungus. It had been hard, especially since she would have move about in her fitful unconscious ways. It was hard to figure out what to do, but she had done her best; and that was all she could account for.

Blue heard the howl and then Finley's voice whispered into her ears, hoarse and gravelly from ill use and she chuckled. Oh he maybe mad, but he will not upset a patient of mine while they are under my care or he will have my wrath. Sit tight my friend. Then with a small whine of understanding and a soft lick to the other's brow, she made it to her feet and galloped towards the border.

She stood near staring at the stranger that had taken the place of her best friend. The break up between Lasher and Peregrine had been more wearing than either realized and her plans coming up would not help. She dipped her muzzle and then without asking permission, she strode forward and nudged her friend giving him a wolfish hug, because frankly he looked like he needed it. Come with me Perry, it will be okay in time. She then twitched her tail and backed up waiting for him to follow her.

Hope you don't mind me joining in. Edit: aw shoot I was slow, let me edit.

Koda had risen early, as he usually did, to make his rounds along the outskirts of the plateau. One of his responsibilities as a gamekeeper was to locate new sources of food for the pack. This morning, he had descended from the plateau to search the grassy plains for a small group of elk he had spotted from his high vantage point. The rest of the herd had already migrated to their winter range, so Koda guessed an injured individual was holding the group of stragglers back. If he could find them, perhaps he'd call the pack to intercept them before they wandered too far away. An elk would keep their bellies full for many days.

Koda's ears perked up as a howl rang out through the crisp autumn air. He paused, torn between going to see to the caller himself, or letting someone a little higher up in the pack's hierarchy deal with it. After a moment, he decided he should go check it out. The voice sounded urgent, and strangely familiar.

He followed the howl to it's source, only to find that Blue Willow had already beaten him there. 'Oh well, I'm here now, might as well see what's up,' he said to himself as he approached the two wolves. He nodded in greeting to the Beta female, and did a double take when he saw who had come to pay them a visit.

"Hey Perry," he greeted the other male. He wanted to ask his former alpha how he was doing in his new home, but Blue promptly requested for Peregrine to come with her. "What's going on?" Koda asked.

Thanks for joining, all three of you. <3

Although he'd called for her, seeing Blue Willow sent a strange jab through Peregrine as an intrusive through crowded his brain: She's been sleeping with Lasher! His eyes narrowed for a second, then he forced these thoughts aside. By the time she reached him, his expression had cleared and he happily returned her wolfish embrace. His head cocked at her strangely serious words.

Before he could answer, another wolf appeared. It took a moment for Peregrine to remember his name. "Hi, Koda. I'm here to see Finley," he said, clarifying his earlier howl. "Evidently that dumbass picked a fight with a bear and lost. Willow and Lasher are helping her." There was no trace of actual anger in his voice. It hadn't even occurred to him to be angry with Finley. He'd been so worried.

As he said the Healer's name, he turned to her. "Lasher assured me she's not mortally wounded." He paused, debating whether to mention Fox's position on the matter. He was still mad at her. "Fox didn't think I should come but how could I just leave her here? I mean, I know she's in good hands—she's in fucking fabulous hands—but what kind of shit ass Alpha would I be if I didn't even visit? On that note, can we go see her?"

Blue had seen the eye narrow and had frozen for just a moment, but then ignored it and kept going. She was certain that she was seeing things, and it was just the trick of the light. After all who didn't squint when it was sunny out. So she shook it off.

Blue dipped her muzzle to Koda. Hello Koda. She then shook her shoulders at Peregrine's words. She stared at him for a moment, what was wrong with Fox. She was like abandonment central. She had abandoned her first wolves to Ferdie and this Jace according to Ferdie anyway. Then she had abandoned the plateau and now she was willing to abandon Finley until she was back to her feet. Oh really. was her dry remark she shook her head and tilted her ears backwards. yes follow me. You can come too Koda if you wish.

Koda raised a brow as Peregrine explained the situation. In any other case, it would have been an unbelievable story, but Koda had met Finley once and during that brief time he'd learned just how headstrong she could be. But to pick a fight with a bear?

The gray wolf shook his head. "Wow," that single word was the only response he could muster. He decided to tag along with the others to see how she was doing, and to offer his help if they needed it.

He experienced both a stab of guilt and a sense of justice when Blue Willow reacted. For the moment, Peregrine resisted the urge to divulge any more details on that front. He fell into step with the Healer and their tagalong, Koda.

It was the first time he'd actually stepped on the plateau's soil since leaving that fateful day. He did not squander the opportunity to look around and drink in the sights and smells of his longtime home. With every step, his nostalgia grew. He hadn't realized how terribly he'd been missing the plateau until he was here. The thought of having to leave it again soon made him ache. He just wanted to stay.

He smelled Finley a few minutes before they arrived at the medic's den and Peregrine felt relief flood him. "I've come for you, wrestler of bears," he called out to her. He meant the words as playful reassurance, unaware that Finley thought she might be in big trouble.

[cameo]

Junior had been too busy lying low to know of her father's first brief visit to the plateau just a week ago. He hadn't called out to anyone and had ended up leaving almost immediately. She hadn't even learned of it secondhand, due to her limited socialization. Yet today was different. Peregrine actually howled, his familiar voice ringing out over the plateau and causing his black daughter to sit up from a dead sleep, abruptly wide awake.

She had heard about Finley through the grapevine, so she connected the dots. As Junior climbed onto her feet, she wondered if her father even wanted to see his kids or if he was only interested in his true pack mate. She missed him dearly, yet she suppressed this feeling and focused on her burgeoning feelings of anger and resentment. Why didn't he bother calling out to his pups? Did he even care to see them?

She found herself walking toward the borders, toying with the idea of forcing her company on him, whether or not he wanted it. Yet as she came closer and overheard his voice, as well as Blue Willow's and a less familiar masculine timbre, Junior's courage failed her. Suddenly, sadness washed through her. Her father really didn't care one way or the other, did he?

She trailed the party of three to her aunt's den, peeking through some foliage to watch as Peregrine greeted the injured Finley. Junior couldn't stomach the sight for long, however, and turned swiftly. Pura and Tytonidae were gone but @Saēna was still here. Naturally, Junior sought the company of her fellow deserted sibling. They could be orphans together.

[/cameo]

That's just mean.

Fin actually almost had successfully willed herself back to sleep, but her nerves were being quite the little bitches that day and refused to allow her to let go of her consciousness. And so, she was there, staring out the front of the den as Peregrine's form suddenly stepped up into it.

She peered up at him, her heart in her throat even as he called to her in his characteristic jovial way with which he had always spoken to her. A smile slipped across her muzzle in spite of her trepidation, and she parted her lips to reply even without lifting her aching head from the ground between her paws. "Come hither, my master," she croaked at him, "You are welcome amidst my royal presence."

Blue Willow smiled, but she settled herself at the mouth of the den and just sat quietly while Finley spoke to Peregrine. She didn't wish to intrude and though there was a chill in the air, the sun was warm. So with that thought she simply enjoyed the sunshine on her black fur and waited patiently for the visit to be done.

Koda poked his nose into the den, trying to get a look at Finley. He was curious to see what kind of shape she was in. He was also eager to hear her story. It wasn't every day a wolf tangled with a bear, and lived to tell the tale.

But Perry's rear, although not overly large, was blocking Finley from sight. He stepped back from the entrance and parked his butt next to Blue. He would just have to wait his turn, for now.

Peregrine smirked at Finley's opening line. If she was cracking jokes, she couldn't be too badly damaged, right? He paused in front of her, then sat and leaned forward, pressing his nose to the side of her neck. He could smell wounds and his lips twitched into a slight frown. He wondered if anything was broken.

"What injuries did you sustain, bear fighter?" he wondered, glancing over at Blue Willow in case she happened to have an inventory handy. "How long does she have to stay here before she can come home?" More directly to Finley, he added, "I guess, more importantly, how are you feeling, you dipstick?"

"Just a couple scratches," Fin replied with a casual shrug, which immediately turned into a sharp intake of breath and a wince. She gasped after a second as the moment passed and her breathing steadied. Peregrine was speaking again, this time to someone outside the den. Her nose told her quickly that it was Blue and... Koda? Fin blinked at the fuzzy face peeking at her from behind Peregrine's bum. She gave him a quick smile before turning back to her alpha.

"You know, I gotta be honest..." she replied, "I kind of feel like I've been mauled by a bear." Fin nodded very gently, each movement causing pain that she ignored to the best of her ability.

Blue did not speak at first, the wounds were obvious the scratches and the open wounds on the girls flanks. She did however speak softly As soon as she is able to walk by herself without pain, she can come home. But I want someone to either escort her home from here or from the Caldera, but she will not be coming to you by herself. She realized after she spoke that it sounded as if she was giving a direct order to an alpha of another pack, but she was merely being the type of healer she was. No nonsense and exact, and if they didn't want to follow her rules, they didn't have to be near her patients.

Koda listened as Perry and Finley exchanged words. He could hear the pain in Finley's voice as she gave a retort. The fact that she was still able to make smart ass remarks really spoke about the girl's resilience. Peregrine didn't lecture his subordinate for her reckless behaviour. He seemed concerned only with getting her back home.

Blue made known her opinion on the matter, and Koda saw his chance to help out. "I'll make sure she gets home safely," he volunteered.

Finley tried to downplay her injuries, which was no surprise at all. Blue Willow gave Peregrine a more realistic answer and before he could offer to return for her, Koda volunteered to escort her home. The swarthy visitor shot the male a grateful look. It did make more sense for someone from the plateau to bring her home when she was ready, since Peregrine wouldn't have any idea of what that might be.

"That would be awesome, Koda, thank-you," Peregrine said, dipping his muzzle to the male. He then returned his gaze to Finley and queried, "So, tell us the story. I gotta hear this. Why were you picking fights with bears...?"

Fin gave a grateful smile over to Koda as he volunteered to assist her back. She was fond of the wolf, and suddenly she found herself lamenting the fact that she hadn't spent too much time with him when they were both part of the Plateau. She let the regret slip away quickly. There would be plenty of time to spend with all of the wolves that they'd left behind when they'd gone to the Caldera. They were sister packs, after all.

Her attention was quickly reclaimed by Peregrine as he asked for the story. She gave him a tired smile in response. "I dunno," Fin replied, "It's not a tale for the faint of heart." Faint? Feignt? Faynt? Bleh. It's morning. Anyway, she wagged her tail softly while her mind began to race. What was she going to tell him?

Blue continued to sit and listen she did tilt her ears backwards at the question and turning her gaze back into the den mouth. She studied Finley, That is a tale I would be interested in hearing as well. She waited patiently, she didn't really believe that Finley would tell them, but she could hope right.

Koda nodded to Peregrine. "Happy to help," he replied. He noticed Finley's appreciative smile and returned a smile of his own. If she was already feeling good enough to smile, she'd be walking away from this in no time.

Koda perked his ears and prepared to listen to Finley's awesome story.

"Oh, come on. Do any of us strike you as the faint of heart?" he retorted, motioning toward Blue Willow and Koda. Their interest in the tale was clear by their attentive expressions and cocked ears. "Don't hold out on us, Finley. We want to hear all about you versus that willy nilly silly old bear." To punctuate his words, he flopped down in front of her like a teenage girl eagerly awaiting the latest gossip, batting his eyelashes and cocking his head inquisitively.

For a woman who so desperately craved the spotlight, Finley was actually feeling rather nervous as they all pushed her to tell them her story. She was starting to feel mildly panicked as both Blue and Koda perked their ears towards her--a feeling that settled only when Peregrine crouched down before her with his characteristic humor that pulled a smile to her lips despite herself.

"Alright, alright, just quit looking at me like that, you freak," Fin smirked at her alpha, "It's honestly not that much of a tale though. It was just a bit of fun that went horribly wrong..." She then proceeded to explain to them how she'd come upon the bear and had thought it might be amusing to have a go at it, then Lasher had shown up and things had gotten out of hand. She explained how the bear had taken a swing at her and it had gotten her right across the shoulder (as they could all very well see), how Lasher had ran at the bear to distract it from her. At the part where she'd gotten herself kicked in the jaw by grabbing onto its foot, she lifted her head a bit so that they all could admire the scratched and bruised skin on her jaw.

Then finally, she told them about how the bear's cub had come out of its den and she'd knocked it back in to distract the mother bear from eating Lasher's face, then the two of them had beat a hasty retreat. "...and then I passed out for a little bit, but when I woke again, Lasher had cleaned my wounds and he helped me back to the Plateau where I celebrated by passing out again. And now I'm up and you're all looking at me and... stuff." She gave a sleepy wag of her tail, gazing fondly at them all.

Her stomach was churning with nausea and her head was spinning with pain and exhaustion, but she forced herself to hide all of it, not wanting them to worry for her any more than she knew they already did. The whole thing had really been nothing. No telling sign of some deep misery that Fin was dealing with internally, no cry for help, no act of reckless abandon to try to distract herself from her emotional pain. Just a lark, really. A bit of fun gone wrong.

Blue stared at her with disbelief on her face. It was fun? You chased and baited a bear for fun. By all the gods that are Holy Finley that was foolish. What could you possibly be? WHy the? You know what never mind, just never mind. Blue turned back around, she could not even fathom why someone would want to hurt themselves so badly, and to draw others in it. Though that wasn't her fault, but still baiting a bear of all the ridiculous things in the world. She had to take quick breaths to keep from getting all in a tizzy.

Koda's jaw fell open as Finley recounted attacking the bear's cub. Messing with a bear was bad enough, but messing with a mama bear? Blue Willow spoke for him when she called Finley's actions foolish, though he probably would have used more colorful language. He kept his opinions to himself, however.

Of course, Peregrine shared in the concern Blue Willow expressed quite vocally, though he saw the humor in the situation too. He couldn't help but admire his pack mate's sense of adventure, even if he sort of wanted to smack her upside the head. By the sound of it, the bear had already done that, so he spared her any corporal punishment for her tomfoolery.

"My boneheaded, badass, bear-fighting Beta, everyone," he said, shaking his head but smiling as he looked at Blue Willow and Koda and motioned at Finley. If he had had hands, he would've started a slow golf clap. But, alas...

Although she was doing her best to hide it, Peregrine figured Finley was probably worn out from having everyone sit here and stare at her and everything. Despite her cavalier attitude about it all, her wounds were rather gnarly. She needed to rest and relax, which meant he needed to leave her be. Behind, that was, which of course bothered him.

Giving Finley a pat on the head, Peregrine said, "Get some rest and we'll see you soon enough, right?" He made a fist with his paw (don't ask me how) and nudged her cheek with it affectionately before rising and moving away to give her some breathing room.

"I know she's in good hands but... take good care of her for me, Willow," Peregrine said, licking the Healer's cheek. "Koda, wanna take me back to the borders?" he asked, having no desire to wander freely on the plateau. They were not his lands anymore, after all, and he was a guest in need of a proper escort.