Phoenix Maplewood i don't hear the church bells chime anymore

Ukko could have told her weeks ago when it happened, when he saw her at the carcass that was probably still frozen over. He’d tucked it away then, doing something different to distract himself, and it only worked for so long. He’d put off telling her, thinking the feeling might go away entirely, but it hadn’t and here he is, unsure of what to do with all of it.

“I challenged Reek,” he explains, looking away from his friend. He does roll sternal, putting his head on his paws. “A while back, before he.. promoted me. That’s basically why he did it.”

Saying it out loud put a wrinkle on his face in consideration, realizing now how dumb that sounds. What had the wolf been thinking? Ukko didn’t really consider challenging the wolf again but he’d stuffed him into a rank he’d not been ready for—at least not anymore.