Northstar Vale Through the Hurt

He shook his head, stepping back further. She didn't get it. He didn't expect her to, and yet. . .he did. Shouldn't she, if she cared for him so much? "It's nothing I've done," Shale explained further, amber eyes burning into hers. "It's who I am. It's how life has shaped me." He shrugged, casting his gaze downward. "You'd have to see that side to know that side, and Pema. . .I don't want you to. I don't want anyone to."

Shale nodded at her instruction to think on it, a small smile coming to his face. "Of course," he assured her. "Of course, Pema. Just--just give me some time, okay?" He looked at her earnestly for a long moment, before stifling a yawn. The night was growing darker, pulling him, exhausted, into the void.

"Let's get some rest," he suggested, nodding toward the den. "We'll feel better in the morning if we at least try to sleep." With a final, gentle nudge of his muzzle to her shoulder, he turned and padded back to the den, curling up next to his nephew with a resigned sigh. But his eyes stayed open, resting on her still form outside, beautifully silhouetted against the black of night.