Blackfeather Woods Send a postcard

The day she had dreaded had finally come. It was important to her that Siarut and Easthollow know where Taktuq was, and she was grateful to Taikon for making this trip so that she didn't have to leave her niece in a place where she barely knew anyone; none of that kept the worry from making her chest tight and her stomach churn. In the moments walking with him to the borders, she wanted to change her mind—tell him she would go instead; her headaches were better, and she could make the trip. Little Taktuq's face always appeared in her mind then, and she knew this was how it had to be. 

Once at the edge of the territory, Taikon settled his face into her fer, and she nuzzled him, pulling his scent in with a deep breath. He had been eating and resting, but he still looked tired, and so she worried even more. He said he would only travel during the day, but that didn't completely eliminate all the danger. But pointing out how he looked was not what she wanted to do right before he left; plus, he didn't need her to tell him something he probably already knew. 

So when he pulled back and smiled, she mustered a weak one in return. She watched him send out a howl to the pack, and when he was done, she offered a few soft kisses to his cheek. Be careful, she reminded him unnecessarily. You have to return to me in one piece, remember? she told him quietly. She swallowed, her expression softening. Thank you, Taikon. He didn't have to do this; she had certainly made a big deal of it all initially, and yet he was still willing to put himself in danger to make a trip to inform her family of their missing pup. She would never be able to adequately repay him.