Firestone Hot Springs visions of blood and family

Her words took Kisu by surprise. She kept using the term "warrior", something he had felt he had left behind long ago; but, it was in his blood, so he carried it with a slight sense of pride, nonetheless.

"Thank you, Muirrin Blackthorn," he replied with a certain softness to his voice. His desire to answer her question wasn't strong, but she asked with respect and it was only polite that he answered with the same. "I ventured off from my last pack for a month to track down my twin brother. When I returned, my prospective mate had chosen another. I suppose I just couldn't deal with that. So I left and have been on my own since." Kisu felt strange saying the words aloud for the first time. It made the situation feel more real, a certain numbness forming over him. Being alone gave him a distraction--the need for survival prevailed over petty things like losing a mate to another.