In the time since he had returned from the crags with the three Glorall youth, Zaqar had once again become withdrawn. Andras was most likely deeply disappointed, but at the time it seemed he had nothing to strive for. At least one wolf who was older than him wished to obtain the rank of Archduke. Furthermore, he had not seen Gaia in Iromar at all; despite her having told him she lived here. In his mind, it was best to lie low for the moment and determine what his purpose would be.

Thus far he’d had no such luck. A year had been wasted simply going through the motions: border patrols, hunting, and sleeping. He rarely interacted with other pack members, and had become almost as reclusive as Paldor.

Truthfully, he was a bit angry. At last he had found a wolf with whom he was connected and shared a sort of partnership at the very least, and who might one day grow to have romantic feelings for him and vice versa. Then, when he had finally found the other half of his soul, she had become just as scarce as he had. The only inkling he had of her was the pull of distress somewhere deep within his chest, which only added to his desire to see her. Over the months, however, it had grown more and more bearable as he set aside the feeling. At this point, he only allowed the twinge of discomfort in the mornings before he put it out of his mind and got on with his day.

Today, he had gone about the morning in much the same manner. He peered out from beneath the moss overhanging the mouth of his den, which was one of the few that did not have a large pile of rotting carcasses outside it. To be sure, there were stacks of bones, but to kill an animal without eating everything was wasteful in his opinion.

Nosing aside the foliage, he came out into the open and glanced about him. Zaqar had chosen a spot with fewer trees for his den’s location. Here, the sunshine was able to warm the earth and even dry it to an extent. There were fewer pools of the dark water in which the large lizards liked to lurk. Few bothered him here, and he preferred it that way.

The late spring sun warmed his back as he began to lope away from Iromar. At first he thought to head to the fields for some different scenery, but as he approached the riverbank he suddenly veered off to the west. The crags were his favorite haunt, and the network of caves would offer him relief from the heat.

After some exploration of the nooks and crannies, Zaqar managed to track down a vole for a snack. With the small rodent’s limp paws hanging from his mouth, he made his sure footed way into a cavern. He lay on the cool floor and began to eat in an attempt to ignore the ache in his chest that was especially demanding today.