Swiftcurrent Creek Fear of Sleep

They shared a glance that was brief, but spoke volumes. With a chorus of night critters to welcome him, Njal came upon the woman; she stood as a beacon to him, always, with her light leading him on. The grizzled man, stern as he often was, took careful strides as he approached her. Not out of any sense of fear but one of calm. With all the confusion happening among the creek wolves, they could linger here together in silence... And it would all melt away. Njal pressed his nose against her cheek once the distance between them was nullified, inhaling the warm and inviting perfume which hung about her neck; it had changed little since the birth of the children. He detected a subtle sweetness which brought the smile out of his eyes and on to the rest of his face - thinking of their daughters and sons.

And this thought, echoing within the vastness of his mind, brought forth the remembered conversation. The creek would always be here - the wolves, their family, they would persist somehow. But the safety of their children was the most vital thing on his mind now. More essential than his devotion to his leader, wherever she was; more important than his attachment to Bazi or Danica or any single wolf; and more significant than the adoration he held for the land itself. The two wolves watched the river flow in silence, then. Tuwawi watching the fluid for a time, with Njal peering around the curve of her jaw - seeing nothing, really. But he did eventually pull away from her, watching her features as he suddenly spoke. An attempt to sound placid resulted in a low rumbling voice, spooking the nearby frogs in to silence: "What do we do?"