Phoenix Maplewood Grace under pressure

Hearing Saena laugh at his usual antics was music to Reek's ears.  It has been so long since he had a reprieve from the tension that placed itself between them.  He smiled and scooted in close to his mate with tiny little shuffles. The tension melted away and it felt like old times back in Redtail Rise, when their relationship was new and exciting. Reek laid he head against her side and exhaled seemingly everything that had been pent up.  "Get wrecked by trees probably," he responded teasingly. She would fare fine without him, of course. Life would go on, but that was something Reek never wanted her to know. Because he knew, if he lost her, he would break.

The silence that followed was nice. Not every moment had to be saturated by conversation.  Sometimes more could be said in the subtle details. A touch. A slow breath. But she soon turned and broke the silence that Reek had so far relished in.  His breath hitched in his throat and in a rare moment, he was afraid.

"You know," he started, "I never wanted to hurt you. I love you more than anything, and I'll admit, the coyote thing may have been a bit of a mistake."  It had been a total failure, Reggie was unreceptive... and Sart was— well, Sart.  "I said they were an investment... but, I didn't really clarify.  It was an investment for me."  His gaze fell to the ground before he continued with his explanation.  "There's something I need to explain—"

"Knowing Peregrine... what he did to you, to Junior.  I didn't want to make the same mistakes. In a couple months, we'll probably be parents. I just— I didn't... I wanted to know if I'd be a good father. I don't want my kids to grow up to hate me. I thought maybe... if I had a trial run or something, I don't know." It was crazy. Absolutely looney-toons. But, it had been his plan from the start. The coy pups utility lied in their capacity to teach him. "You probably think I'm nuts," he said, looking back to Saena with a shameful expression.