Sunset Valley I wish I didn't need you to explain

When she explained that Diaspora welcomed opinions, he looked toward her, a bit surprised. For some reason, he had envisioned Diaspora as a typical, hierarchical, nobody gets to talk except the leaders kind of place. Perhaps it was because of their discussions before of her late husband that he had just assumed things had been rocky and awful in a similar way. It became clear that he was wrong, as she was very open to telling him that it wasn't his fault. It was Wylla and Mahler who had broken things apart. The way the pack had reacted was a symptom of the toxicity that the leaders had created.
And then the bombshell. Taikon blinked, looking ahead, knowing how much it hurt her to have Stag leave with that...woman. He wanted to be angry, but part of him was thankful. The distance between the mother and son might serve Taki better, for she would no longer be influenced by his shitty decisions. Maybe when they met again, he would have grown up a bit and they would have a better relationship for it. But the pain cut her deep, and he knew it. And he said nothing, swallowing a thick ball of tension as his throat dried up.
Sighing, he looked toward the glacier. She seemed to have the whole place mapped in her mind. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. She was often found wandering on her own, finding the right, quiet places to think. That had been how they met, after all.
Following her lead, they made their way toward the caves. He was exhausted. Emotionally everything weighed heavy on him. If.. He paused, gathering his thoughts further. We can talk about this more later, he knew she was even more exhausted. But if we decide to stick with just ourselves through winter, we'll be okay. It won't be like..
He thought of her. Sick. Alone. Dying. Crawling to Sagtannet's doorstep. We'll be okay.