A few bites into his vole, his chest tightened slightly. This was atypical; he looked up from his meal warily, but saw nothing for the moment. Returning to the rodent, he put his mind to other things. He wondered what task Andras might next set him to. With the absence of his imprint, Zaqar planned to throw himself into rising in rank. Perhaps in addition to interpack relations he could lead a hunt.

There was the tightening again. He did not look around, but listened intently to his surroundings. If it happened once more, he would go out and look for her. It would be devastating for him to ignore such a feeling only to discover that she had been injured, or worse.

The ache subsided for a moment, and he slowly gnawed on the vole once more. It was getting to the point where his teeth were simply scraping tiny scraps off the bones. Suddenly, his heart began to race as the sound of pawsteps on the wet stone met his ears. She was coming!

The moment the red vixen caught sight of him, he snapped his head in her direction. Instinctively, his tail brushed happily on the ground. Before he knew it, he was on his feet and trotting to her side. He reached her right as she uttered his name, and carefully nosed at her fur in several places to ensure she was unharmed. Realizing that it may be uncomfortable for her to be so close, given that they really did not know each other well, he backed up several steps.

”Gaia…I’ve missed you.”

It was simple, but it was enough for now. His tone left a nonverbal question at the end of his statement, and it was up to her to answer it if she saw fit.