Serpent Lake it should have been the comeback

He searched for Arielle—of course he searched for her. @Ibis kept tabs on the Fen and @Lilitu, insistent that they keep her sister’s absence from her. Akavir had worried for his wife and the hawkish watch she kept upon their brood… but his worry grew further when he realized to the extent she hoped to protect them—and how it could damage them.

He wished nothing but to protect them. Their claim with Wraen had held such promise, but of course life would never be so simple.

He did not voice his concerns to Ibibs on her stability—not yet. Instead, the frost-maned wolf gave her a kiss, whispering to her his intent to search for their missing heart, and the days spanned into nights, catching no sign of the girl.

His nose lingered to the depths of the lake water he had come by, his intent only to seek out the scent of his little girl, trying to push aside the raw fear that clung to his heart that she could have fallen into the depths of these waters, taken from them.

How did a parent survive this? How did they keep them safe?

Already, he knew he didn’t want to do this again—couldn’t do it again. Ibis wanted more children—all he could consider was the fresh ways he would fail them all again.

Never once did he consider the option would not be his. The slide of his paw beneath the ice was too swift for even the sure-footed Mayfair. His dark body tensed, a yelp of surprise just barely escaping him as his body plummeted into the icy waters.

It was a blur as he went below the surface—and it was Ibis’ heartbroken face that flooded his mind as he was swept away in the winter currents.