Nova Peak If you must live, darling one, just live

You can't. Stag thought he goddamn well could; his jaw set, hardened by the conflict of Wylla's logic with his own treacherous wants. Life, he knew, would never actualize all of his wants at once -- but in the face of Wylla leaving, Stag realized that his home had never been where he laid his head --

it had been who he laid his head with.

There was no place for him here, if Wylla was gone. While he loved his mother, she had proven she didn't neeed him. Mahler too, in his own way -- Stag viewed him with the quiet worship of a little boy who had lost his father, but Mahler was not infallible. In a bitter way, all of this had been because of Mahler - the chips in the foundation had cracked well before Taikon ever opened his mouth.

Seeing Wylla cry made Stag's eyes water, and he looked away with a tight gulp of his throat. The only wolf who needed him besides Wylla was Phaedra; he couldn't envision leaving her.. But between a yearling coming into her first of year of life surrounded by packmates to love and care for her, and Wylla departing into the wilds alone, Stag knew his choice.

"Phaedra will live." Stag steeled himself, more tears to his eyes to think of leaving her than anything else: "she has a pack to love and support her. My mother will live -- she has a pack to support her, too. Mahler.." Stag paused, feeling a strange barb of resentment to utter his name -- "will be fine. You will be alone.

I'm going with you." Stag reiterated, feeling his damp cheeks flush with a strange brand of certainty. "Two is better than one, and I won't let you leave without me."