Fox's Glade to me, from the timbers,

i do not wish for you to stay away. now that he'd found her, dolce couldn't imagine what could keep him away. no wolf, no force, no god could pry him from her grasp. he'd fight tooth and nail to keep it that way, too. it was a terrifying thought; to be so utterly enraptured by someone, that he'd face down armies to remain by their side. 

but he would. deep in his chest where that feelings blooms, he knows he would without a doubt. 

he can only hope she feels the same. he's not a fool—he can smell tvar, and can sense her apprehension when she speaks in that soft, songbird voice. he'd face him too, if needed. he'd killed many men for far less, he'd be nothing but another scar to wear with the rest. 

dolce pushes those thoughts aside, and reminds himself that she is her own woman, and he's put no claim upon her. she'd make her choice, if it came down to it, even if the thought of him being left behind made him want to burn the world to the ground. he'd lived without her for so long...but would he be able too again, now that he has her? 

he listens, content and calm, as she speaks of her new friends. pack mates he assumes, or others she'd met on her travels to bearclaw. it satisfied a part within him, knowing she'd been taken care of and found company in others. his dove did not deserve a life of loneliness, but one with everything good in this world. 

the sorrow that dances across her pretty face makes him want to chase it away. he'd do anything to see her smile again, the one that'd been haunting his mind. "s'alright, dove. some folk are tougher than the rest. haunted. give her some time, 'n she'll come around like the rest." he rumbled soothingly, encouragingly. to know there was a wolf out there that could resist her charm was baffling. 

he grinned, crooked and wolffish. "trouble follows me like the sun, darlin'." a low chuckle, a tease. "been different, a pack like this. reckon i might be a guard one day, patrol with cole." redemption. and a chance to prove his worth to her, his strength, his protection.