There had been regrets; Covet didn't like to have those, and yet he still wished he had been able to see Malina again before he had left. He had missed the chance to see her belly swollen with their children and the fabeled glow of pregnancy that some spoke of now and then. It wasn't like he had aimed to leave as he did, but if he had hesitated, if he had seen her before he went, he had been worried that he couldn't go at all at that point. That the sight of her and the pups to be would have kept him here and stolen away the chance for a better, normal life if it was possible for them to have such a thing. He could hope; he still hoped. Either way, the reasons for leaving and the way he had done it were valid. They would make sense, he thought. He'd done the right thing when doing such wasn't purely in his nature. He wasn't used to it, but for his kids he would at least give that.

He was at odds. He had been from the start, maybe. He watched attachments and he wanted freedom, but how was that even an option? It was one or the other, that was it. He had heard enough of the whispers, the ramblings of his father to understand the follies of wanting such a thing. So until he could decide which he wanted... he kept to himself where it counted. He wanted the two toned angel and he wanted fearful one, too. That was compelling, and he could dance around them for awhile more. See if anything stuck. No rush, no rush. Besides, he couldn't think like that without knowing what kind of creatures he produced. Still, if they were not up to par -- whatever par he decided they should be -- then perhaps he was enough of a monster, a demon, to rip their little throats out. Mercy, he could say. There could always be more attempts. Normals instead of angels, perhaps. He needs to know.

The huff, the sexy little grin that didn't last; Covet reacted with step forward, a swipe of his tongue across her maw. Then he gave her back her space, settling back on his haunches after she had sat. Her words made him give pause. He gave her a calculating look, let it go and nodded. He supposed that if she culled the whole litter he couldn't complain. Covet had left. He had no say for that reason. Malina would have done as she thought best, that he knew. So he gave her a calm look; maybe a little sobered from the usual gaze he would have given her. But her next words made his ears swivel forward again, listening. So they might be alive still. Covet could feel himself relax; grateful for that. For his departure to not have been wasted as far as instant culling went. He followed her gaze -- was she nervous, then? -- and stared at her once more. Different. The pups were different. In a good way? A bad way?

Not so much as to know for sure if they crossed any lines so far. And now Malina was asking if there was a way to see... Covet sighed, frowned, nodded again. "We can do the test the same way I learned." There was a quirky, serpentine smirk there. "I didn't start killing right off. Found a wolf bleeding out; got gutted by some antlered critter..." A pause. "So.. we lure them to a fresh kill. Question is; you gonna feel the need to kill me if I tear someone open for them?" His gaze was unwavering, cold, bold and seeking answers. It was a risky thing to do, and what he wouldn't tell Malina was the fact that maybe for whomever the blood called to, he might rid the world of. Or perhaps he would keep the youngling and try to help it survive without drawing out too much attention to itself. On that side of things, having someone at his side that would be useful in a fight might be worth looking into if that's where this path led.

_____________________________________________________
[ male ] [ five ] [ loner ] [ ava; severed imprint ]