Broken Boulder may it follow you forever

When Ioa was buried and Alarian had finally washed the scent of the mountain from his fur, he sought @Xahi. He had been thinking about her coming to greet him, wondering if it meant her seclusion was finally over; his grief drove him to act on his thoughts now. There was a time when he had resented her— twice, actually. When Lennon had first brought her, and when he had disappeared. It had been easy to fault the beautiful green-eyed girl in some way.
He knew better, now. Carrying a weasel from one of the caches, he followed her scent through the territory. Perhaps they could bond, now, over their mutual hurt— maybe he could trust her. Truth be told, he needed that more than anything; he thought often that he might never have it.