Silvertip Mountain loss of breath

again, plz don't let me hold up <3 I want him in here for reasons

He had been thinking, long and hard, about his encounter with Merrick. He knew in some ways where he wanted to go here, but in others, he was just as lost as before. This was not good, and he lamented it as he sought answers through the late-summer days. None were forthcoming; he remained stuck.

He hunted frequently and, of late, roamed the borders even more. It was not because he wished to protect their lands... rather, he sought to protect those outside. If he could send them away with words, then maybe they did not need to see the teeth of the bear.

No one should be forced to see those teeth.

But a few had beaten him to the first unfamiliar voice. Ashlar's tail sank, but he still walked forward timidly. It was one of Merrick's children, one he had not yet met, alongside the king himself. And... a familiar face. Whose voice he should have known, except he had rarely heard it. His ears pricked up immediately and a huge smile broke across his face.

They were tense, and there was a fight. Merrick was between them. But still, Ashlar couldn't help his happiness. You! She'd told him her name once, and he remembered it... but saying it now seemed strange. Like it had been a secret shared. He did not run to her as he wished, and held back. All of them were family - and though considered her a good friend still, when she'd left... he had failed to help her, just before. Perhaps she did not feel the same.