Redhawk Caldera you're mine

"But have I been that bad?"

Alivia's only answer to that was a raised brow and knowing smile. 

"First, we'll tackle your mental stress. It's causing physical tension in your body, which increases pain." Just from the way he moved, Alivia could see how tightly wound he was. He seemed to be the kind of wolf who took pride in being in control of himself at all times. Self-control wasn't a bad thing of course, but a wolf needed to know how to relax too. 

"We're going to build a happy place in your mind's eye." She moved so that she was seated directly beside him. "It can be a place you've been before, or you can build it from scratch." 

Alivia closed her eyes to encourage him to do the same. She talked him through each piece, instructing him to add sights, smells, sounds, and feelings to his mental space. She wondered what kind of place Cinar was visualizing. He was under no obligation to tell her, but the curiosity was there. 

"Okay, take a breath and open your eyes." She smiled. "The more you practice visualizing that space, the easier it will be to find it when you need it to manage physical or emotional pain." 

She took her own cleansing breath. "And that's lesson one!" What would he think? She worried that meditation might be a little too woo-woo for a practical wolf like Cinar to appreciate.