Blackfeather Woods Sell your soul, not your whole self

The night was overcast and cool, but surprisingly warm given the season. Patrolling was monotonous. The Ivory Rose were new in their claim of the forest, and he knew that every bit of boring scent refreshing would be helpful for keeping away the unwanted and the unsavoury. As he moved, his thoughts spun with what he had seen from Zephyr's strange attack. He didn't understand why anyone would go near that poisonous tree if it did things like that to them. It all seemed a bit insane. Zephyr confused him, first demanding that he essentially never wanted to talk to him again, then crawling up to him in a psychotic fit. Taikon had done his best to follow Takiyok's advice and give the boy space, but it just hadn't worked that way.
On top of that, he knew that in a few days, he would need to leave to head back to Easthollow. It was not a trip he was looking forward to, despite his love of travelling. He hated the idea of leaving Takiyok and Taktuq behind in this weird, insane place for two full weeks, even though Takiyok was perfectly capable of caring for the both of them.
He rubbed himself along a tree to mark it. Takiyok showed up abruptly after, and he smiled with a gentle, hey, as she nuzzled him and he licked at her cheek. Always, he said, feeling much calmer with her presence. He was tired. He hadn't been sleeping well, and had spent most of the day hunting with largely unsuccessful results. He hoped silently that Taki had brought him something positive.