Phoenix Maplewood A temper set for tender

Reposting with edits to better suit Reek's timeline! For the wifey, @Saena

Scarlett's lingering death weighed heavy on Reek's mind even a week after her passing, but the pain of loss was well outweighed by the burning pang of guilt that leeched at his very core. Guilt could be a funny thing— how it sometimes reared it's ugly head within a man who had done nothing wrong. But, it wasn't a question of what Reek did, it was a matter of what he didn't do instead. He second guessed everything. He thought, perhaps if he would have tried even harder Scarlett wouldn't have slipped away. The thought plagued him. With each passing day, he could feel the wound begin to close, but the process would be slow until he felt whole again.

While Reek's appearence had always been unkempt, in recent days he had taken on a much more discheveled quality. Sleep was elusive. He hadn't groomed in days. His eyes— sunk back in his skull, dead and devoid of nearly all expression. He threw himself into his work on the borders in the hopes that it would suppress another catastrophic breakdown from happening, even though at this point he felt he was well past the possibilty of breaking. He would hold strong, but if allowed to continue in this unhealthy rut, Reek's health and sanity were doomed to decline. He would need to make time for something else, a getaway of some sort to distract him and let emotional bruises fully heal.

Finishing his third patrol before lunch, Reek fell away from the borders and slunk over to the nearest cache. He uncovered a dirty moose leg to drag back to the infirmary for Saena. If one good thing came from Scarlett's death, it was now much easier to properly care for his mate. Now, she could be his primary focus.

He made the awkward shuffle back to his subterranean infirmary/den and dropped the moose leg at it's mouth. There, he peered into the enterance and hoped he would find his wife within.