Swiftcurrent Creek your kiss, my cheek—i watched you leave

She seemed pacified by it all—eliciting a surge of guilt from the man as she preened lovingly at his chin. Looking upon her—her radiance—her purity—all he could see now was how his presence would begin to chip away at this lovely creature before him.

It was what happened to those he dared to care for.

“Eshe,” he rumbled, pulling himself to sit now, away from her embrace—to the coldness of the air. There would be no room for cowardice in this moment. He remained resolved in this moment—still in his posture, as if a gargoyle statue.

“If we’re on the topic… We should talk about everything you deserve.” His muzzle wrinkled then—knowing this was not something she had signed up for. “I don’t know if I should be a father again.” The words were hushed, for the most part, his eyes beseeching. “I’m not trying to pull pity out of you. Or words of consolation… I don’t want them. I need you to understand that I have five children in this world… and none of them have been the better for it.”