Emberflame Ridge She appears in his dreams

There was nothing to him; he smelled of petrichor and springtime grass, of dust and dirt and stone, which only told her he had been to the grotto's tunnels recently. There was no other aroma to him, which eased some of her fears, but only bolstered others - the kind she did not want to think about. Saena's voice rang out in her mind: He'll do it with the next pretty thing that crosses his path — and she wondered, if he hadn't already moved on, why not? His commitment worried her more than anything else. She couldn't just up and leave -- not without feeling like she was ruining another good thing.

Were they a good thing? Were they even remotely healthy? God, her mind was whirling. Reek tried to ease her worries, but his words only made Tavi feel more despondent. Her guilt was stronger now; if it were possible, perhaps he would have seen her pale before the timber of his voice. I'm home now, she murmured, and then suddenly pushed by him - stepping around and beyond his stationary self as if to move ahead to the grotto, and not just linger on the outskirts. And I'm very tired.

Tavi's posture was hardly that of a leader, and she wondered if the rest of the pack would care -- maybe they would ask questions. Surely they had noticed her absence? Or maybe not. It wasn't like she was keen on the position or making-nice among her subordinates. Hell, she couldn't even remember all of their names; they followed Reek more than they followed her. Tavi canted her head up slightly, regarding Reek with a side-glance, before turning in the direction of the grotto's heart.