Horizon Ridge pride comes before the fall

Akhlut had been a bit tactless, perhaps, in metaphorically singing the praises of the sea creature who'd nearly claimed Pied's life, but he was a firm believer that if Pied had been spared by the great whale, there was a purpose in it. The Sea could be harsh at times, but had been merciful this time, thankfully. Akhlut dipped his head in a silent apology and said no more of the symbolism of whales in general or Pied's attack in particular, instead listening attentively to her words. He made a mental note to seek out Dublin promptly, for it seemed he had her to thank for his Gamma's survival and continuing recovery. He'd like the female well enough, or she wouldn't have entered his ranks, but she seemed to be a capable healer to boot and had proven her value to the pack. A warmth swelled in him towards her, gratitude that Pied's life hadn't ended there on the beach or during any of the surely precarious moments since.

Pied's concern about her childbearing ability made Akhlut wince a bit, having not, in his masculine brain, considered the possibility of that kind of injury to a newly-mated young female. A bit unsure of how to ease her fears without giving her false reassurance, Akhlut stumbled to say, "I'm sure Dublin will know more on that front once you've healed up a bit." Despite his admiration for his Gamma, he rather preferred not to think of her as possessing of female parts, primarily because she was Kisu's mate and therefore not for him. He tried to ignore that she was pretty, even with her tired eyes and her smiles that seemed just a bit too thin as she lay here in her sick bed. She was off limits prior to her attack as the older male's mate, and she remained off limits now for the additional reason of her injuries. Reminding himself of these things, and knowing that he held mixed feelings of fondness, worry, and guilt all co-mingling in his psyche when it came to Pied and was surely not being rational, he shook his head to clear it.

He spoke of reasonable things that would reaffirm her ties to Kisu in his mind, and hopefully reassure her that this attack changed nothing of her value to her mate or to her pack. "Whatever it is, it'll be alright. I know you were excited for pups," he said with a smile, remembering the light that lit in her eyes at the mateship ceremony when he'd mentioned the litters that would come to them in springtime, "and I'll bet anything you'll still be able to have as many as you want, no problem. We'll be overrun with little dappled puppies this spring." The thought tugged painfully at his heartstrings as he imagined a horde of Pied's little girls running across the sands of the beach in summertime; they were all her miniatures and adorable. "Kisu will love you whether you can, or you can't." At least, Akhlut hoped that the tawny wolf would. If Kisu wasted all that had been offered to him, for this or any other reason, then he was a fool.