Swiftcurrent Creek let the rain wash away the pain

To say he was surprised would have been an understatement – and while one skim of his eyes over her petite frame was enough to indicate she had encountered trouble during her trip, the regal could not push himself to close the distance between them, to sweep her in to his embrace and erase the past months of pain she had left him in.

Because she had left. Against his wishes.. and without truly seeking his guidance or opinion on the matter. They had agreed to test the waters, and begin to court one another.. and then the next day she was gone, making it very clear where he had stood in her decision of importance.

She was home now, but that did not mean that life picked right back up where it left off. They would be pack mates – that was all he could muster now. She took a step toward him and his ear twitched, his own muscles tensing. He would have taken a step back, but caught himself before doing so, his eyes drifting back to Kaskara. “Kieran,” he finally uttered, deciding to move forward with his original plans. “I’m sure Bazi is tired. Perhaps you could take her to seek out Esperanza, the pack healer? Or to her old den.” There was a small pause as his bright eyes fell upon the rugged male. “I need to discuss something with Kaskara quickly – but a pack meeting will be held very shortly. Thank you for everything.”

With that, he waited for the brown cloaked wolf to escort the ivory female to a more restful place – the potential of Shadow’s lingering presence was the most forthright on his mind at the moment.. and he could not afford to explore the torn pieces of his heart just yet.