Wheeling Gull Isle saying she is lost, and choking on hello

The first bit of news wasn't surprising; she assumed the man would come back at some point. But then Aiolos continued, and her blood ran cold. She stared at him as though she saw a ghost, her face gaunt and devoid of all blood. At "skilled hunter" she was on her paws, and as the man wrapped up, she was circling, rounding up the litter, cajoling them inside. Even @Vesper, with her head in the bush.

In the den. All of you. Now. Her tone held no room for opposition. Once all of them were properly corralled—Jaes willing—Maegi turned back to Aiolos, planting herself firmly in front of the den, a bulwark against threats of all kind.

She sucked in a breath. Let it go. So he is here, she said, flatly. The only emotion she was capable of feeling was panic, and she was trying her level best to tamp it down. She had to be strong. For Mou, for the babies. She had never had the liberty to not be strong (and yet how many times had she failed. . .?).

We. . .will handle it, Maegi continued. She shook her head ruefully, a burst of air that could have been laughter escaping her nose. We have no choice. But he does not come close to this place. Not—not yet.

Perhaps not ever. But time would tell.