Whitebark Stream All my fears could be Irrelevant

right. what she had said on the beach. surya had chalked it up to emotion in the moment, but as she continued, his brow began to furrow in some distress. not. . .well, not distress. but certainly a touch of anxiety, a sudden weight upon his shoulders, responsibility—

haaye! a lot to put on a boy barely a man.

i—sorry. i was not expecting this, surya responded, stammering slightly. he came to a halt, watching her watch her own paws. aphrodite. . .i like you. a lot. what you're saying, though, it's—it's too much, hai naa? for me, anyway. i'm sorry.

mates, pups, family. . . he was barely able to grapple with his own fractured sense of identity, let alone contributing to someone else's. what if he became his father—his true father? what if he was eventually destined to abandon aphrodite and their unborn children, just as the chutiya who'd sired him had done?

i'm really sorry, he repeated, shaking his head. i just think. . .we need time. you know? there's time to think about all of this.

maybe. maybe not. but it was too weighty for surya's mind in the present moment.