Dawnlark Plains It's Been Months And You Ain't Off My Mind

"he was," aditya agreed, gaze straying to an undetermined point in the distance. thinking of the last, tumultuous time the three of them had stood together, watching engel leave the plateau. what he had learned, that had changed his opinion of his friend forever. and the truth of the matter, whatever it was, was now buried, for sorrel and kieran both had left the wilds. . .perhaps forever.

he sighed again, looking back at engel. "look, you were like a brother to me," he said, shoulders sagging. the anger was gone; now all he felt was pain, a heavy weight on his stomach. no longer did betrayal feel like fangs, cutting hotly into his skin: it was indigestion now, churning in his gut. "i trusted you, even if you had a big mouth, and you flirted with everything that moved.

"sorrel is gone," adi continued. "left with kieran to go travel. i had meant to ask her about what had happened, but now. . ." he blinked slowly at engel, face impassive. "i have only your word. you told me you were innocent. please, engel. . .if you respect me at all, if i was ever your friend, tell me the truth."

grayday had never liked engel. it was blasphemous to speak ill of the dead, but that was a fact he could not deny. there was the slightest chance that grayday had misheard gossip, misread a situation, and used it as an opportunity to expel the red-pelted man from his pack. grayday was not infallible, for all his positive traits.

and try as he might, aditya struggled now to see engel pursuing mousy, timid sorrel. maybe at first, but surely he would back down, with denial? adi stared hard at his old friend, hoping for both their sakes that he was wrong.