Moonspear when i bled from the heart of the matter

”She's handling it the best she can,” he offered with a sigh. ”It bothers her, just as it does the rest of us. Though she has her litter coming to keep her occupied as well.” Where his offenses were more personal and along the lines of personal gain, he was aware of how deeply things cut for her. ”She takes the good with the bad,” he tacked on as an afterthought. He could empathize to a degree how bad the sting was, but they had spurred her into making decisions for herself. Of what the future might hold for her, and for him too. He had never abandoned the idea of stealing her away, though at the present doing so had its drawbacks. Children would certainly complicate whatever plans he held onto, but he would not risk doing something to harm their existence.

”But you shouldn't feel bad for stalling. These are turbulent times, especially for you and your kin. There's no harm in taking care of yourself while things cool down, and if that's a crime here too, then... I suppose I'm guilty of it as well.” He had not stopped his ranging here and there, the little ventures beyond the claim that Moonspear fiercely held onto. He wouldn't stop them, but he would come back within the day instead. If not for the children in her womb and their shared goals, he would have turned tail long ago he thought. But perhaps, just perhaps, the stress of all of this would prove its worth in the end.