Verdant Basin Partners In Crime

Finally, she recognized him, and Alder lit up in joy again as she lunged for him -- the brute fell to the earth with her, cackling and whimpering between his licks of affection to, well, wherever he could reach. 

                       "Em, Em I've missed you so much! I thought I'd never see you again. Where the fuck you been?"

His words weren't in the least angry or judging as he once was for her leaving, hurt as he still was -- she was right, he really had changed -- the King just wanted to know why, where she'd gone. Apparently, she'd gotten lost -- in the wake of the locust storm, it wasn't hard to believe -- and every fibre in the Pryor's body ached as they put their faith in her word. After all, conners as they'd been all their lives, she wouldn't ever lie to him. 

Instead of answering as he wanted her too, she seemed dumbfounded over the fact that he had kids: it was hard to imagine, consitering back then the only thing he'd wanted was to stay by his twins side and rule with her one day. There hadn't been a girlfriend involved, not after his first litter had died and Melodie left them. His first and only love before Aspen, between all the flings -- who knows, maybe he already did have other pups out there -- and one nights he'd used along the way. Emory had simply always been more important, and it was only in her absence that he'd been able to reach out and find such feelings. 
Now, however, he could have both, if only she would follow. 

                                                                                   "I'm called Alder now: it was the last change I needed with a new life, but I never dropped Dad's name. My kids have it and my wife, Aspen, took it too -- there are a lot of Pryor's you've gotta meet, sis. Come home."