Swiftcurrent Creek i always make such expensive mistakes;;

The boy was quiet as he listened to Lennon speak, taking in each word with his full attention. His own thoughts bubbled in his head, and briefly he thought it wasn't fair that his companion thought he should have walked away-- but the emotion in Lennon's voice overwhelmed him, and the thought was drowned in a tidal wave of guilt and self-loathing.

When his companion finally met his eyes, Ali was overcome. He pressed his nose gently to Lennon's, eyes full of gentle affection, though they still held the sadness from earlier. For some reason the confession had only dulled the hurt-- as if he had spent such a time fixating on his belief, cementing it as fact in his own mind, that it would take an equal amount of time to detach it.
The boy pulled away after a few long moments, turning his gaze down to the water. He huffed, mostly from nerves, and tried to make his next words sound more lighthearted than he felt. Well, I know it looks like it... He started, referencing his scar and now healing wounds. But I promise I don't go around picking fights, Lennon.

Ali barely paused before launching into his explanation, voice shaking slightly because he still wasn't sure he wanted to say it at all. When I found her-- them, he was making her cry. He told her she had been left behind, that we weren't coming back-- and I would have taken Korei and walked away, I would have.
The boy drew in a breath, then turned his eyes to the sky. But when he threatened me, he wasn't just threatening to hurt me-- he was talking about my death. And I thought-- I still think-- that he wanted to take Korei. He wanted to kill me and take her. I couldn't let him.
He shivered a little bit, thinking back to his encounter with the orange-eyed stranger. What if he... And then he couldn't finish the sentence, couldn't put that thought into Lennon's head. The boy straightened a little, trying to look okay, or at least stable.
I hate violence too... Ali's voice was a little steadier now. But I can't let those things happen to anyone else. Especially not Korei.

He pushed his face into Lennon's chest suddenly, half because he was certain his explanation would ruin everything, that Lennon would think him stupid. The other reason was that he didn't think he could breathe a moment longer without some form of contact with the wolf he was rapidly beginning to need.