Nova Peak The Wind's Changed

Relief let him relax a bit as she nuzzled him. But his thoughts still plagued him, and he gave her a shadow of a smile, the look of weariness on his face. Shaking his head, he stepped back and shook, his now thinner coat showing every muscle. There's not much to do for troubled thoughts. I just need to keep busy, and even though this little break helped a little, it might do me good to go back and start helping out others instead of focusing on myself.

Shifting on his feet, he looked over her, seeing if she was physically okay. The heat had taken a toll on him, making it hard to sleep and stay asleep, not like he wanted to anyway with the things in his head. She looked good to him, and her presence gave him a bit of comfort. Licking her cheek as a gesture of being sorry, as he had since he was a small cub, he caught her gaze and held it, love and concern in his voice and eyes. How are you doing? How is everyone else? Siarut? Shivali?

He cared for all of them, yet his thoughts over the past weeks had been turning more and more to the three siblings he was closest to, and since one of them was standing in front of him, he was anxious to hear about the others. Regret twinged at his heart, knowing he should be there to ask them himself. As their names passed his maw, he realized how much he had missed talking to them, and he was ready to go to them.