Hushed Willows I had only just found you, why have you left me?

Oh man I never saw Rev's post. Sorry, guys!

He'd be lying if he said the side-eye didn't sting. His expression blanked immediately to obscure any emotion he felt on it from the two of them. He was wondering right then why Reverie was so different from the rest of her family, or if maybe she was only pretending to have any respect for him.

That wasn't really important right now, though. Dusty Rose turned away without acknowledging the backhanded offer, deciding to sniff around for himself instead. He had the fleeting idea to go off after Reverie and Tybault. No doubt they were making plans to go searching for her. There was a part of Dusty Rose that wanted to go searching, too. He had no personal care for Reina, but she still belonged to the pack, and the pack and everyone and everything in it belonged to him.

He did not like his things being touched or taken. He especially did not like the idea of them being dragged away. And, even for Dusty Rose, the thought of a woman being kidnapped for any purpose was pretty sickening. Mainly because he could all too easily imagine it happening to someone he did care about, but also because, just generally, Dusty Rose believed that they all ought to treat each other with kindness. Reina didn't deserve whatever was happening to her right now.

But whether it was trauma or pragmatism or lack of moral fiber at the heart of the issue, Dusty Rose still couldn't muster enough care for the woman to suffer Tybault's presence. Maybe if he thought he'd be more helpful. Maybe if he knew long they'd be away from the kids and Reverie. As it was, he felt he and the kids and even Tybault were better served with him staying behind to worry about the wolves he did care about and would (apparently and to his own consternation) put himself in danger to protect.

So he resigned himself to a futile investigation for the night. In the early hours of dawn, he would pull back from the borders. Stick closer to the den. He wrote the rest of the pack off as easily as he did Reina, though the latter with slightly more guilt and reluctance. He didn't believe they saw him any differently than Tybault and Carnelian.

Reina, at least, had shown him a little kindness. He was sorry about whatever happened to her. But he was already moving on.