Bitterroot Valley shaken not stirred

He pursed his lips, and at length he stared at her. He was a guarded wolf now, and not inclined to allow others close for fear of being harmed. Of course, who he allowed and why was mostly irrational and nonsensical. He accepted Saena, but his male lover he would not, at least not easily, even though Lasher had done nothing against him and they had parted last on the same affectionate note as always. Smash? She had broken a promise to return to him, and she had all but gone from his thoughts. He truly had not expected her to return. Yet, there was a part of him that wanted to trust her, that wanted to tell her (or maybe just someone) what happened. It was said, after all, that in order to breathe it was necessary to get things off one's chest.

But, the white wolf said nothing, and merely shook his head. His ears fell back and his snout tipped down, his eyes lowering to stare at the ground with a hard, defiant expression. Though he wanted to, he refused to speak.