Arrow Lake all these in-betweens that bar my youth

perhaps the coming spring would bring the promise of new pups for mahler himself, though he doubted it. takiyok would condemn him, surely — he could not bear the hurt in her eyes when she now looked upon him. perhaps it was important to keep himself aside, celibate, childless. were not the kinder of diaspora his own also? in that surely he would find comfort.
"you have more brothers and sisters in the children of takiyok," mahler murmured to little trench. "vether or not your mothers approve, it is true. stag and mesa, monarch, ego — they are your siblings also." one day they would all come to know it — if they accepted the sentiment remained to be seen.