Big Salmon Lake Special dark

Peregrine woke up this morning convinced it had been over two weeks since he'd agreed to meet Luke. Feeling like a tool, he kissed Fox and the puppies goodbye, then set off toward the lake. He liked to think himself a man of his word and it bothered him that he'd stood up the bubbly, blue-nosed male. It was only once he neared the lake and really thought about it that he realized he was actually early, not late. Now he felt like a fool rather than a tool.

But he was out here, so... Peregrine pondered a moment, then lifted his muzzle into the air and called for Luke. If he was within earshot, maybe he would come. If not, then the swarthy wolf could always return at the appointed time. As he stood there and waited, he couldn't decide whether or not he wanted Luke to respond. If he did come, he might think Peregrine overeager or an imbecile. If he didn't, well, that would be disappointing and a waste.

As luck would have it, Luke was in the neighborhood and heard Peregrine's call. The blue-nosed wolf was not expecting the summon and stopped in his tracks with surprise. For a moment he thought it must have been two weeks and he had lost track of time, but he was fairly certain that was not the case. Either way, he was delighted to send a return howl into the sky, saying that he was on his way, and start a brisk jog to the lake. It never crossed his mind that Peregrine was being 'overeager', he did not think like that, he was simply glad for the chance to hang out with his companion again.

Luke was not far and arrived within a quarter hour, and as his gaze found the strapping male's dark figure, he called out in his usual chipper voice. "Peregrine!" With his tail swinging he trotted to Peregrine's side, giving the caldera Alpha a friendly shoulder bump as he did so. "Are you out hunting again?" he inquired with a bright smile.

When Luke returned his call, Peregrine felt his heart drumming in his chest. Trying to keep a straight face (rather than break into a goofy grin), he began to plod around the lake while he waited for Luke to arrive. He stopped after perhaps thirty feet to dip down and take a drink of the cool water, then proceeded until the hollow thunder of footfalls reached his ears.

He turned, not shying away in the least when his ebullient acquaintance bumped against his shoulder. "Hey," he replied, his own tail waving slowly. "I guess you could say that. Only you are my prey." Peregrine waggled his eyebrows, then paused and admitted, "I got it in my head that I was running late on our meetup. Then when I got here, I realized I'm actually early. Sorry, man, I'm evidently really bad at keeping track of time."

After a beat of silence, Peregrine said, "Anyway, how have you been? What's the latest in the life of Luke?" As he asked, he lifted a paw and motioned to the other male, silently inviting Luke to join him on a leisurely walk around the lake's shore.

*previews* JFC, rofl. *posts*

"Yews are my noms." lmao. The filter makes Peregrine sound oddly adorable hahaha.

Luke's bright smile became a mischievous grin when Peregrine's spoke, and he felt a rising excitement that was not the simple joy one feels when meeting with a friend.  "Oh really?" he drawled and gave Peregrine a brief but savoring look over. "Well I don't mind being hunted by handsome predators," he said. "Even if they are a bit early," he chuckled. Luke was in fact rather pleased to think that Peregrine had been looking forward to their third rendezvous, and was happy it had come a week early.

The blue-nosed did not hesitate to accept Peregrine's invitation and stepped into an equal pace at his shadowy companion's side. Luke's gaze swept back and forth between Peregrine and their surroundings as they strolled. "I've been having a great time checking things out and meeting other wolves," Luke answered. "By some luck I was even able to reunite two old lovers," he chuffed, remembering fondly that day. "What about you? How's your flock?" As beautiful as the lake and surrounding area was, Luke's attention came to rest squarely on Peregrine.

Luke made light of Peregrine's premature arrival, yet in such a way that didn't make him feel any more self-conscious. His heart beat even harder when the other male called him handsome. It was a reminder to him that the chemistry was there, the attraction almost certainly mutual. With Fox's blessing, it was just up to one of them to make a move, if that's the way things developed. But it was clear to Peregrine (and his mate), if not to Luke, that the dark Alpha male had himself a crush.

Peregrine was genuinely interested in Luke's goings-on, so when he reported that he'd been meeting a bunch of wolves—no surprises there—he asked, "Oh, yeah? Who have you met? Maybe I know some of them. Oh, yeah?" he inadvertently repeated the two questioning words at the news of the reunited lovers, wondering at their identities too. He was sure Luke would tell him that, in following with his prior query.

In fact, he would rather keep the focus on his companion for the moment, so he did not answer Luke's question about himself and the caldera. There would be plenty of time for that. It was still early in the day and they had a beautiful backdrop. Peregrine was certainly in no rush.

A "byootifuwh backdrop," haha.

Luke was aware that Peregrine bypassed his question with more questions of his own, but did not mind. He could not help but feel satisfied that he had captured the powerful Alpha's attention, that Peregrine was so interested in what he had to say. Luke was drawn to Peregrine as well, and was enthralled with the potential between them. Whether or not the seed sprouted mattered not. For now he was happy to answer any questions as he walked by the rugged male's side.

"Mostly lone wolves, but I met a handful from your old roost," he answered, giving Peregrine's rump a light flick with his tail. "One was Mordecai, and it was him and a girl named Harlyn that I reunited. She found me when she was looking for him." Luke paused. "But I also met an Osprey. One of yours?" he quirked a brow. An osprey was a bird, and it had not dawned on Luke then when he met her that she might be a relation, but it had occurred to him now.

His interest was effectively piqued when Luke mentioned the plateau, though the names he dropped did not ring any bells. Peregrine felt almost strange about that. He had no doubt that certain core members would never leave, though in the time since he'd departed, many of the faces had surely changed. Hell, this Mordecai and Harlyn might be high-ranking, important members of the plateau and he didn't have the first clue who they were.

But the latter name he knew, of course. "Osprey is my sister," Peregrine said, smiling at the mere thought of her. "Of my three litter mates, she has always been the closest. Now she's the only one left. I'm sure the two of you got along beautifully," he mused. Their personalities were more similar than his own and Luke's. What if his sister had found Luke attractive or vice versa? Well, that could turn into an awkward situation. He laughed inwardly, though didn't bother worrying. As far as Peregrine could see these days, Osprey was happily single, perhaps even asexual. Little did he know...

It came to no surprise that Peregrine confirmed he was related Osprey. "I get along with just about everyone," he chuckled. "Except there was this one wolf on the beach that attacked me, and I could not tell you why." He pursed his lips momentarily, recalling that misadventure. There was not another word Luke could think of which better described the female than crazy. The truth hurts they say, so perhaps that was why the word set her off.

His thoughts did not stay with her long, returning again to Peregrine and Osprey. If they were close, it was possible Peregrine was already aware that his sister seemed to going through a tough time and was also pregnant, but they lived in different packs some ways apart and may not have seen each other as of late. "Have you spoken to her recently?" Luke asked. He could not fathom what all troubled Osprey, and his first guess was not that her pregnancy was illegitimate.

"Why does that not surprise me?" Peregrine teased in a good-natured tone. But then Luke went on to say there was an exception to the rule. His brows lifted, then furrowed. He felt defensive on his companion's behalf, though Luke certainly didn't need his help. He was curious, however, and asked, "Who was it? Was it one of those sea witches?" he wondered, disdain clear in his voice. He thought of Pantaleimon briefly.

Luke wanted to know if Peregrine had spoken to his sister lately. His lips pursed, sensing an implication in the question. "I saw her when my children were born," he said. That had been about a month ago. "How is she?" he asked offhandedly. If something was amiss, Luke probably would have mentioned it right off the bat—or someone from the plateau would have sent word. Peregrine shrugged, dismissing his misgivings.

"Sea witches?" Luke echoed, having never heard the term nor run into anyone or anything he would think of as a sea witch. "I don't think so. Just a loner that, ah..." Luke raised a paw to his head, giving it a swirl and nodding at Peregrine with a you-know-what-I-mean look. "Total nut. She even asked me to kill her after," he chuffed, shaking his head. Luke would have loved to know her backstory but he was not about to seek her out and ask how she came to be so... spontaneous.

"She seems to be having a bit of a rough time," Luke said when Peregrine asked how Osprey was doing. He continued on with, "I'm sure it's nothing to fret about. She's probably just worried about the pups coming," unwittingly dropping a bomb on Peregrine. The blue-nosed wolf was not a worrier, and did not jump to dark conclusions. Rather he tended to believe that all things had simple and often mundane explanations. He wrongfully assumed that Peregrine knew his sister was going to be having pups (surely that topic had risen between a brother with his a nestful of newborns and a sister pregnant with her own?), and that Osprey was exaggerating when she said her life was a mess, believing she was most likely just stressed by the changes.

The story was so crazy and absurd that Peregrine merely shook his head. Anyway, the topic of Osprey was more welcome—at least until Luke said something so confusing that Peregrine literally stopped walking. Hearing that Osprey was having a rough time was bad enough, then the blue-nosed wolf mentioned puppies. He would have immediately assumed this word referred to Blue Willow's children, save for a single, crucial word: coming.

"Whose pups are coming?" he asked, momentarily refusing to consider that Luke might be referring to Osprey herself. That wasn't possible. "Whose pups?" Peregrine demanded rather rudely when Luke didn't reply as fast as he would have liked. Despite his denial, it was clear that he already knew the answer on some level.

Luke did not anticipate Peregrine's reaction, and his ears fell back when his companion demanded to know whose pups they were, eyes widening. Luke was too stunned to answer immediately and when he did he spoke quietly, tentatively, concerned gaze on Peregrine's face. "I thought her mate...?" he trailed off, his tail drooped and his whole body appeared to shrink a degree. He missed that Peregrine was in denial about Osprey, instead Luke thought he was asking about the father. "She was not willing to speak with me about it, we ended up chatting about ghosts and I walked her home after. She seemed a bit weak, but insisted she would be okay and had just had better days." Luke frowned, he had obviously greatly underestimated the gravity of the situation, and to make matters worse he had unknowingly dropped monumental news on his companion. It should have been done carefully, but he had done so very casually, tactlessly. All he could do was tilt his head to the side and offer Peregrine a somber, apologetic look.

Although indirect, Luke's reply nonetheless confirmed Peregrine's worst fear. His face scrunched at the mention of Osprey's mate. He had seen her a month ago, at which time she had been happily single. Now she was pregnant with a mate? Something seemed very wrong about the situation. Peregrine shook his head. The only way he could get answers was to see his sister himself... which of course he was go do right this very instant.

"Luke, my sister doesn't have a mate. And she definitely wasn't pregnant when I saw her last. Something is very fucked up right now." His voice shook and he sort of wanted to hit Luke, just to hit something, but the head tilt and apologetic look undid him. Peregrine softened. "I'm sorry for snapping at you, man. But this is serious shit. I need to go see her, like, yesterday. The plateau isn't far from here, so I'm gonna go..."

He could have left on that note, scurrying off to find Osprey. It might serve Luke right for dropping such a bomb on him. But Peregrine knew it had been a total accident. Luke felt bad, he could see that. Despite the alarm bells ringing in his head, he took the time to move closer to Luke and press his nose against his companion's pale shoulder. He then lifted his head, looking Luke straight in the face, before swiping his tongue over that namesake blue nose.

"Thought it might taste like a blueberry," he mumbled, though there was no humor in his voice. "Sorry I'm cutting this so short. Will you come see me at the caldera? Whenever's good for you?" As he extended the invitation, Peregrine began to walk, though his eyes stayed fixed on Luke. "I really do want to spend more time with you. I'll see you later, I hope." He finally tore his eyes away and began galloping further north.

With Peregrine explaining that Osprey had no mate and was not pregnant last time the siblings spoke, it was easier for Luke to understand why the swarthy Alpha had reacted so strongly. It also confirmed for him that he had greatly misread the situation. Luke was no stranger to the laws of the wolf, the way of a pack, and he felt his fur prick with apprehension. He need not wonder anymore why Osprey had said to him that her life was a mess.

Luke swallowed thickly when Peregrine said he was going to leave. The blue-nosed wolf anticipated his departure, understanding the need for him to go, but he did not welcome it. It unsettled Luke to part ways on such a dark note, but when Peregrine came near and nosed his shoulder, his mind was eased. He leaned in to the touch, tucking his muzzle in the thick fur of the Alpha's neck. He instantly missed the contact when Peregrine withdrew, but could not contain a small smile when his companion licked his nose.

"I understand, no need to apologize," Luke assured, giving Peregrine a soft wag of his tail to further show his support. "I will come see you when you get back."

As his companion left, Luke sank back on his haunches with a sigh. It took a lot to take the wind out of the Bluenose's sail, but he was deflated and needed a few quiet moments to collect himself.