The Sunspire the world was on fire

as ketzia thanked him for his honesty, stigmata couldn't help wondering if he had ever shown her otherwise. he didn't often find himself concerned with the opinions of others, but he was certainly aware of that anxiousness now; leaving him to ask himself if had he cheated or misled her somehow. but if anything had transpired between them then it was a misunderstanding. he had indeed followed her up here - for every selfish reason a wolf can dream up - but if she presumed herself to be in a rolodex of worthy women, then she was mistaken.

he thought to correct himself at her bittersweet congratulations; thought to tell her that he had misspoke. that he had only made one deal, and it had been made before he'd ever met ketzia, at a time when things may have gone differently, but she turned to flee - leaving stigmata in skin-twitching agitation as he could only watch her go. he was getting rather sick of she-wolves turning their backs on him, but he refused to acknowledge that he might be even a little bit at fault for that.

slower and brooding, stigmata followed ketzia's tracks to diaspora.