unlike the upbringing aguta had experienced, lasher's had been rife with emotion and the physical aspect of breath and life; he had touched his witches, moved among them, and in turn they had embraced him. but for carlotta, he would have been accepted into all the family! but she had been the one, the only, to turn her back upon him and refuse to breed, to pass on the ability to be one with himself and his kith.
he loved with all of his heart. he felt with every fibre of his being, every part of his soul. he was not a closeted beast, though aguta was, but this would not decimate the bonds of their status as aokatti. he knew this as he knew the wind would howl and the sun would surely rise; they would complement one another.
war would come to tartok again, he sensed, but tonravik would have heard of siku's doings, perhaps her failings, and would learn from them, use them to advance herself to the heavenward hierarchical reachings of her dark mountain pack. they would be prepared; they would be armed with the bonds between themselves and the blazing ferocity that burned upon this peak was if it were a wildfire.
he lay there in silence beside his aokatti and was content, the constant murmur of his soul dulled for some time, to begin again at an unforeseeable point in the future, but for now, he was happy. delighted, and it showed in the expanding glow of his murkwater eyes as he gazed heavenward.