Turn back the clock

As Dawa started to explain, Velox shook her head slightly, only to abruptly stop when she realized her den-mate could not see it. It mattered not, because the blind leader seemed to be at a loss for words, and fell silent regardless of the pale wolf's soundless protest. She watched the coywolf with vaguely masked interest, like a mother might watch her young children play foolish games that never last into adulthood, and she let her expression represent a warm smile when Dawa tried out the nickname and then attributed it to a rhyming word.

"Bee," she repeated fondly, reminiscent. "I used to call my husband Bee," Velox told her, having before mentioned Brooklyn by name, but not their only daughter's name—having shared only the minimalistic fact that she had been looking for her before her fateful fall into the Vale. "But yes, please call me Vee—it would make me very happy, my dear Dawa."

The perpetually crooked Alpha then asked how she was feeling, and Velox sighed a sound of contentment and relaxed further as she watched Dawa place herself comfortably out of reach of accidental touching—as she knew better by now than to touch the blind wolf without warning. "Stiff, but much better. You've made my healing days very comfortable... I can't thank you enough."

She was quiet for a while, and then quite to her own surprise, she added: "You know I was thinking about my future, Dawa.. and I thought I might like to stay with the Vale. Perhaps invest some of my time in one of your factions, as you've explained to me. I quite fancy being a Monk, I think."