The Sunspire obvious

The proximity to her was suddenly, and keenly, felt by both parties, though Rian's reaction was a bit more subdued and far more delayed than Hydra's own. Rannoch was his primary concern, and any moment of silence was spent thinking about what outcome was most likely, and how to justify any actions taken for his brother. This, however, superceeded every thread of thought except one. He'd come to her aid by instinct alone, but there was no flare of anxiety that told him to retreat now that there was no sign of injury—he hovered for a second too long, until she broke the silence with words carried by an exhaled breath. 

There'd never been a time Rian had known Hydra, in dreams and in person, to faulter. But she did, stammering out a soft reply as she suddenly tore her gaze away and continued down the slope at an albeit slower pace only to pause and lob a coy glance over the sleek curve of her shoulder. He perked both ears, though one swung by the wayside again as he struggled to sort the awkward mess of emotions that fought for purchase. Was he okay? What did it matter when Rannoch was hurt, and Northstar Vale was without it's leaders...

"It'll be fine." He replied, not realizing he addressed the problem on a whole, as he descended the slop to fall in step beside her. Within seconds, he managed to time the beat of his own stride to her own—though he was only slightly bigger than she was, he was significantly more stout than his agile friend so the difference was not such a struggle. Rian sighed, "I'm... not Rannoch's second anymore. I stepped down. I wasn't ready for it, all the responsibilty. Been scouting the remote borders, and warning off other predators." He admitted. "I don't know if Cypress, or someone, told you but... yeah. So I don't know what's going to happen if Rannoch can't come back anytime soon, or..."

He swallowed, and stopped himself before his rampant anxiety wrested control of his mouth. "Thanks for, well... not hating me, I guess."  Where had all that come from?