Verdant Basin Partners In Crime

Thrilled as he was to see her, yipping and whining in pure happiness as he galloped closer, Alder just couldn't figure out why her reaction to him seemed to be fear. 

The agouti scrambled backwards, cowering in the King's shadow and demanding his name -- this, of course, was a blow to the Pryor, who had slowed suddenly with his face falling in disbelief.

                      "Em.... W-What happened to you? Don't you recognize your twin?"

Trotting forward with his jaw nearly brushing his paws, tail low and ears slicked back in surprise, Alder chuffed softly as he closed the distance. Right now, he didn't even care that she'd abandoned him, that she'd left him alone in the Grotto without the know-how to live without her. Sure, he always knew he could survive, but there had been a time where he didn't know if he could live without the presence of his twin there -- there was an even more brief time where he'd resigned to following after Reek as a subordinate for the rest of his life: surviving, but not quite living. 
But Aspen had enamoured him away from that edge, kept the fire of his soul ablaze and now here they were, the King and Queen of Royal Fire Court. Alder wanted nothing more than to beg her to come home and give her the title of his Duchess, but only one of those things were possible. 

                                                                             "Emory, I did it -- I'm a KING. I've got a wife, kids, a beautiful glade to call my own.... Come home with me, Em -- meet your nieces and nephews. Come home with me. Live like royalty with me, sister."