Hushed Willows seventeen

:-( poor stark *snugs him*

The rabbit ended up being a false lead. Buchanan had tracked it all the way to it's burrow, sniffing eagerly at the tiny opening only to realize that the pungent scent of tangy, sharp metallic blood hung in the air and followed the small trail left to a partially picked apart carcass: the work of a hawk or crows, perhaps even a buzzard. A small snarl of frustration left the dark wraith as he turned away from the corpse, letting it for the scavengers to finish off. He wasn't going to give that to Banner. He would have to improvise and hopefully find something else to bring her. Except that plan didn't work out too well either, for Buchanan caught his mate's scent heading towards the borders, heavy with her brother's own. So he returned. He had noted Stark's absence for the past few days but didn't even think to question it. Too much of the subjugate lived within Buchanan and the subservient omega (in his mind anyway) didn't dare question his superiors. In a world of Alpha's Buchanan knew and generally accepted that he would always be an Omega. The Officer had ensured it, and enforced it even in his death (as terrifying as that was).

The long legged assassin found Banner soon enough, his pace slowing as his mercurial gaze swept over her small form, awestruck by her beauty, and overcome with the warmth that spread from his chest all through his body. A low noise of content bubbled within Buchanan's chest, threatening to spill from his lips, except the hyper-vigilant wraith noticed that her actions seemed ...distracted. His posture shifted and tensed, docked tail flicking as he inhaled the scents around them, him still lingering in the shadows a silent sentry, alert for any danger. Something was wrong? If not wrong then off. Something was definitely off. It was incredible how quickly he had grown attuned to Banner's body language in a similiar way to how he'd been attuned to The Officer's own. It was only when he was sure that there was no threat outside the borders lurking that he made his presence known, lest she noticed him beforehand. “Banner,” He called out to her, merging out of the shadows, though he was still tense, still very much alert in case any danger presented itself.

“What has happened?” Buchanan asked, already riding the assumption train that something had happened. His first thought was that it was Stark — that something had befallen the Alpha. His second thought was that perhaps she'd had another anger episode. “Are you alright?” He asked her quietly, a few beats later, following his second consideration, his concern and worry for her unbidden as it made it's presence known upon his face in the soft furrow of his brow.