Phoenix Maplewood admit no guest without a date of departure

She followed him into the stream and Reek was content to carry out his work in silence. A moment such as this was rare for Ser Talks-A-Lot, but after the events that had transpired in the past few days, namely the bear attack, Reek felt the need to carry on in silent reflection. The mood simply called for it. There was nothing to joke about— no way to make light of the situation.

He began by pulling the tangles and mottled blood from the back of her neck. He had yet to touch the scabbed gash by the time she posed her question. Immediately, he stopped pulling. Part of him expected some reprimand in typical Citali fashion, but it never came, instead she asked why? Something no one else had dared to ask. "I guess, uh— I guess it's not the most popular decision around here, is it?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.  "I left to recruit... the pack, it's been weak for a while, so I went south. I found them down in the plains in dire straights. If I hadn't intervened, they wouldn't have survived the winter."  While it hadn't been a completely charitable case, Reek was content to let the others think it was. It was easier to explain.

"I guess I have a soft-spot for children..." he trailed off. Seeing as it was a suitable explanation, Reek went back to work on the back of Citali's neck. He mumbled a preemptive, "Sorry," and then he reopened the wound with his teeth. The taste of blood filled Reek's mouth. He spit the foul tasting scab matter into the water and rinsed his mouth out in the stream. "What would you have done?" he finally asked after pulling his head from the water.