Hideaway Strath We could've been doing this all along

Charles felt Kynareth's burning gaze on him and he instinctively looked away. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what was going on inside, but it seemed like it was too busy, too crowded, for him to join, too. What if he wasn't welcome? Charles had not often been in a situation where he was welcome, and while he liked to do bad things to see if someone, anyone, would notice him, this was too big a risk to take.

Unsure of what to do, the coywolf just stared at the den. Even Whrist's company did not soothe him this time; it was clear that he was tense and while he tried to look like a stalwart guardian, ready to be called in if he was needed, and ready to defend the den if need be, on the inside he felt like a little pup who didn't have a clue what was going on or what was expected of him.

Eventually he heard the high-pitched cries of a pup — only one pup? — and he felt relief wash over him. That must mean that this horrible wait was coming to an end soon. He swallowed thickly as he waited outside. Now that he had waited for that long, it was easy enough just to keep up the waiting act and wait until someone addressed him.

Kynareth was the one to first come outside. Charles felt the twist in his gut tighten, even though Kynareth didn't look angry. He was close to Nyra, it seemed (though Charles had no idea just how close; if he did, then he might have laughed at the thought that she would want Charles to father her children at all). There was something about him that simply demanded respect, and there was something about the way his face was handsomely chiseled so perfectly as though he was a stone statue that demanded Charles to look at him.

At first he felt called out, even though Kynareth's words were soft. Why didn't I come? Charles asked to himself, a lot less softly than Kynareth had. He asked himself as though he should've known that he could have — should have! — been welcomed inside. Of course he was! He fathered these children! She invited him to be a part of their lives — its life! What seemed so uncertain moments ago now seemed crystal clear, and he had made the wrong decision. I... he tried, his mouth dry as his eyes skittishly darted away from Kynareth's face and back again a few times. It had to be clear he felt caught out by the question.

Kynareth's next question provided a way out. Charles nodded quickly. It was no easy task to admit being a coward, but it offered him an explanation, at least. She didn't call for me, and I didn't know if she wanted me. It seemed uh, kinda busy. Charles' tongue nervously flitted in and out of his mouth as he looked at Kynareth's handsome face, waiting to see what would happen next; waiting to see if his answer was good enough, or if he would be punished for false assumptions and fake excuses.