Sequoia Coast DISCOVERY - The Cave of Glass

:D

If Kisu insisted they speak to Akhlut first, Pied would concede. She wondered what he would do and say. They wouldn't be asking him if they could leave, they'd be telling him. Her jaw clenched at the mental imagery. But then her mate agreed to just slip away without a word and, though she felt guilt bloom in her chest, she also felt relief. Pied was under no illusions; leaving the pack was a bad thing to do. Akhlut and everyone else would be rightfully angry with them for abandoning the ridge. But they'd definitely given the ridge and its leadership a chance. It just hadn't worked out for them in the end and, if they had to be selfish about their departure, then so be it.

Besides, they would have safety and company waiting for them at the plateau. Pied didn't have a doubt in her mind that Hawkeye would be as happy as she would be surprised. They could raise their litters together after all. Pied imagined Peregrine would also like having them there, though she wondered if her uncle would disapprove of their pregnancy and the circumstances under which they'd left. She knew they wouldn't fib about that; Akhlut might come looking for them and cause all kinds of trouble, though she hoped he'd just let them go and leave it alone.

It was difficult not to project into the future, yet when Kisu asked her to enjoy their current surroundings, Pied did her best to focus. "It is certainly beautiful. I wouldn't mind living here," she mused. "You know, I've thought about the idea of leading our own pack a few times. If you ever wanted to do that, I would support you, of course, but I don't think I'd ever be cut out to be an Alpha. I'd be your happy little Gamma or whatever." She smiled, then shrugged, letting go of that topic just as quickly as she'd brought it up. They were moving packs, not starting one, and she was more than happy about that.

Suddenly, the reality of the situation finally began to hit her. If they left directly from here, she would never again lay in her lair on the cliff. She would never again run on the beach. More likely than not, she would never see her pack mates again. Her heart twisted, then relaxed in the next moment. She'd spent so much time in the den, sick and wounded, that she wouldn't actually miss it much. As for the beach—well, she would barely come close to the water anymore. And though she respected each of the members of the ridge and even considered some of them friends, she never saw any of them regularly. They felt like friendly strangers who shared the same space. Even Dublin, who'd saved her life, had grown sparse and fallen to the bottom of the heap.

Laughing abruptly, Pied said, "Sorry, I'm not being very present at all, am I?" and gave Kisu an apologetic lick. "I was just thinking about what we'd be leaving behind. But I'm not worried about any of it. As long as I have you, I'll always be home anyway."