Swiftcurrent Creek Say something, I'm giving up on you.

The breakdown of Paarthurnax and Shadow's relationship had been the fault of neither, but the crimson Frostfur could not shake the crippling feeling that she'd ultimately been the reason for its demise. She'd kept her feelings bottled up, locked away in a heart that had struggled from the start to let him in, unwilling to share. Paar had always been a delicate creature, tender and sensitive, too afraid to speak her mind for fear of upsetting those she cared for. It was her gentle nature that drove her away in the end. She supposed Shadow might blame himself too, much as Paarthurnax now did, but she hoped with all that she was that they would both recover swiftly and move on with their lives.

She had to, and it was the stirring of new life in her swelling abdomen that spurred her to hold onto that hope. Her unborn litter had been kept secret from their father for a variety of reasons: it was too soon to be considered truly successful, for it was common for newly conceived pups to perish in early days; they were too distracted by the goings-on in their lives; she was afraid he didn't want them. They'd discussed children briefly, shared thoughts and ideas and names to consider, but Paar was always certain that she could detect an aura uncertainty around her partner. A mystery he would always remain, but now he was no longer her mystery.

The appearance of a familiar face and the sore reminder of their previous, awkward encounter caused Paar's heart to skip an unpleasant beat, but she rose her head to look upon his expressionless features with tired copper eyes. "You were right," she mustered, forcing away the fear that he would resent her for her previous rejection and dragging herself onto shaky limbs and letting her crown hang in defeat. "It was not meant to be."