Swiftcurrent Creek If ever I could love, I think it could be with you.

She spoke, slipping past him and into the dark privacy of the den. He lingered only for a given moment, his own mind recalling their young brood in tumble and play among their legs--a family that had held such promise.

He shook his ehavy fur, his reservations firmly falling to place as he backed away, his muzzle sweeping down to track the scent of their children and send them in the direction of their mother. It was no longer his duty to nurse her heart, but he would be sure his children managed to do it.