Wapun Meadow If I was out of my body you would see the truth

she refused, and a great part of merrick quailed at how the raven regarded him thereafter.
a heartbeat of time, and the rift between them expanded.
he had meant to relieve her of this gathering she had seemingly so hated, only to receive the lash of her wordless accusation,
betrayal,
and merrick's gaze dragged pain to the surface, that she would think so ill of him. had he not loved her above all else? a twist of his lips. the stares of any assembled went unnoticed; she refused, and merrick surrendered the gambit as a failure.
his eye dropped apologetically to avicus, then to aventus; they would see this day that the only one who could command such from the bearwolf was the fierce woman who had borne them.
there was a pride within his concession as flagrantly he relaxed his dominant air and nosed toward her chin appeasingly. in all other things the boy was choked with confidence, but he was nothing without the blackbird, and shook his head toward evien, though it was only a rebuke of himself. the healer was free to take baptiste within the medicine-den; merrick would atone in this meadow for his misread.
the others were beginning to turn away; merrick nodded across the crowd toward donovan, bidding him wait, and moved to flank the rook. only when she chose to leave would the coywolf also.
and shame was in merrick, but it would not be recognizable as such to any who looked upon the man still and quiet beside the bearqueen.