Herbalists' Cache When the levee breaks

Bit by bit, he began to understand, though he had questions he kept to himself. Was it Sun Eater's pride that had caused all of this? Because two of his packmates had taken a life without his bidding? It seemed odd that he might take offense to such a thing, considering the actions he'd taken when he'd seized control of Qeya River. What was another life to him? Or was it the blow to his ego that mattered more?

It didn't make sense. Sun Eater, he thought, would have been grateful not to have scavengers close by while his wife was close to giving birth. Something was amiss- a detail unspoken, perhaps? He tried to give his Chieftan the benefit of the doubt. He should have been grateful that you were protected, He uttered quietly, more to himself than anything. He looked to the children, trying to fathom why Sun Eater would have taken defensive action as an insult. 

It didn't make sense. 

She asked him to stay with her, and he nodded, grateful that that might be his task. While he still wasn't sure, entirely, who they were, that might come, he knew he could trust himself to defend her, if that was what she was asking for. 

But at the same time- she was asking for something else. And it took him a moment to piece it together. 

With quiet words she begged for him to stay by her side- not to keep her safe, but to choose her. She wanted him to see Sun Eater through her eyes- and he warred with himself to be able to do so. He'd been nothing but loving toward her, as far as Ridgeback had seen. Whatever quarrel he'd had with Gjalla and Blackfell...it ended the way things often ended, with Sun Eater. He'd seen it before; all who stood against him, fell like saplings beneath the winds of a hurricane. 

The man you married is Sun Eater. He answered gravely. This is...Who he is. He felt a deep pang of regret- not just for Star Eater, but for himself. He, too, had turned a blind eye to the true nature of their Chieftan. At first, it had been in order to protect himself, and Ice Diver- a coward's motive. But now? After all this time? Had he truly found a friend in the man, or was he simply a captive who had come to enjoy their cell?

You want me to...Take care of him? He asked, voice barely above a whisper.